Mercs of a Feather
by Nathaniel Zellos
Summary: A brother and a sister that fight together. Hidden in blood do they hide their secrets from others. At what lengths are they willing to hide it from their friends at Beacon? Co-authored by Dark Dragon Queen of Death. Rated M to be safe. Edit: Removed my OC's Bio. It can now be viewed here (docs,google,com/document/d/1WjGMkteuaPW9Kfs19IvjEz78mu8MDyErK1Zl69R1jRU/)
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**A/N Nathaniel Zellos: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, but here is the chapter you've all been waiting for! So sit back, relax, and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1**  
 **Introduction**  
 **third-person P.O.V.**

* * *

?Off in an isolated part of the Forever Fall Forest, a solitary figure stood in the cold, unrelenting rain, as a bullhead silently flew away, leaving the five-year old wolf faunus alone. After about an hour, the faunus started to look around for shelter that could sustain him for the next ten years of his life, as this is a right of passage in his family. Now, the five-year old will silently endure until his time is up and he returns home.

~2 years later~

Nathaniel, now seven, has managed to create suitable shelter in a cave and managed to create a working forge in a nearby clearing. In these two years, he's survived packs of ursai, beowolves, and boarbatusks with the help of Requiem, a giant chakram, with gold and silver blades with 4 different, interchangeable dust crystals embedded in the blades, that transforms into two tonfas that run along his forearm, extending just past the elbows and knuckles with the crystals still in the blades. He was just finishing off two King Taijitus when he heard the silent approach of his family's Bullhead heading towards the part of the forest north of him. _'It hasn't been ten years yet, so why are they here?'_ he wondered. When he got to where the landing area was in sight while still remaining undetected, he saw something that shocked him. When the Bullhead left, there, standing in the middle of the clearing, was a lone eight-year old wolf faunus. When the faunus turned around he noticed a familiar face. _'It can't be! **Oh shut up! Of course it could.** But why would they bring her here? **...I don't have any idea.** '_ As Nathaniel was arguing with himself, the lone faunus was taking in her surroundings, like she was searching for someone. When her back was to him, Nathaniel snuck out of his spot in the trees to get a better look at the familiar face. "I know you're there, Nate," said the girl. "Heh, you could always tell when I was near. I almost had you that time, Michelle." she smiled and turned to him.

"Not entirely. You know I have a great awareness for my surroundings just by looking at it." Michelle giggled a bit and crossed her arms. "How have you been since being dropped off, Nate?" Michelle smiled widely, showing her crimson fangs to him. She had two holsters behind her back and wore two silver bracers on her wrists. A black t-shirt along with black shorts as well. "I've been fine. Got some 'company' last year, but he gets on my nerves quickly," replied Nathaniel. "I see the Family has treated you well. How did your mission go? I wasn't expecting you here for another year or two." While saying this, he was leading Michelle towards his cave in the south.

Michelle followed him closely. "It went as well as everything else. I was able to get in and out without a problem. Though, I need to learn to keep my cool under these kinds of circumstances. Ended up killing everyone in the building." Michelle stated without a care in the world. She was used to killing people. She rubbed her right shoulder a bit. "My shoulder is a bit sore for the most part…" despite being a great fighter at times, Michelle would get wounded whether it was an easy fight or a hard one. It was especially worse when it came to her semblance. She had a very unstable part of her semblance. However, she had never talked about what made it so unstable.

As they reached the cave, nathaniel motioned west of the cave. "Well, you should be grateful towards me then. I found a hot spring nearby while looking for some food. Seeing as how you're reacting, you could use it. But you know, you should really try to go easy on yourself. You know what happens if you rely too heavily on your semblance. It is the same with everyone else in the Family." With that said, nathaniel started walking towards the east, shouting over his shoulder, "If you need me, I'll be doing some maintenance on Requiem at the makeshift forge. A King Taijitu managed to chip one of the blades." *sigh* "I really need to find something to infuse them with so they can take more of a beating. I'm running out of resources." He pulled said weapon from its holster on his back, examining the gold blade with concern before Michelle disappeared from sight. _ **'Now, is that concern I heard from you?** Oh shut up! I don't need you badgering me now of all times. **Oh, but nate-** ONLY MICHELLE CAN CALL ME THAT! **Heh looks like I struck a nerve there. But as I was saying, now IS when you need me, as only i can help you reach your potential.'**_

After that comment, Nathaniel just tuned out his insane half. The moment he got that was still fresh in his memory. He had accidentally ingested a cup or two of a beowolf's blood when he was desperate to escape after it had pinned him to the ground. Ever since then, he had been cursing himself for lowering his guard so carelessly. He had been taught better than that. Finally reaching the forge, Nathaniel decided to try and use the metal already on Requiem to try and repair the chip. After about an hour in front of the white-hot flames, he consented that it was just making the problem worse, and went to an inconspicuous tree with a tangle of roots, pulled one up, revealing a hidden storeroom, and stepped in to retrieve the necessary materials. As he was closing the trapdoor, Nathaniel sensed he was being watched. Setting the gold ore, the box of dust crystals, and a canister with gold and silver caps, Nathaniel separated Requiem into its dual-tonfa form, setting the gold blade down alongside the other materials, wielding only the longer, more lethal silver blade with his right hand. "Michelle, if that's you, you should know better than to try and sneak up on me." After he finished saying this, Nathaniel heard a growl from his left, then another from his right. Suddenly, the whole clearing was filled with beowolves of different sizes. Cursing under his breath as not one, not two, but THREE alphas emerged from different sides, one in front of him, the other two on either side, and let their grunts do the work of tiring out their prey. _'How do you feel about being let out for a bit? **Are you really considering this?** You better answer before i change my mind! I don't feel up to fighting three whole packs of beowolves, so make your decision fast. **Any restrictions?** If sis shows up, don't attack her. I can work with that.'_

After setting down the silver blade, Nathaniel took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, they were almost completely black voids if it wasn't for the streaks of gold where the whites would be. Smirking as the beowolves approached, what was formerly known as Nathaniel took a brawler's fighting stance, and impaled the closest beowolf on his claws, wrenching the grimm's heart out of its chest as it fell. Throwing the already dissipating heart at of the alpha in front of him, the insane half of Nathaniel made short work of the packs, leaving only the three alphas. Grinning from ear to ear, he taunted the alpha he threw the heart at. Howling in rage, it charged him recklessly, and received a slash across the legs for its troubles. As the grimm was falling, it realized its mistake as fangs tore into its neck, ripping out it larynx in the process. When it finally hit the ground, it was already dissipating. "I honestly hope you two can prove more of a challenge," said Nathaniel, but turned around only to see the other two alphas dissipating as well.

At first, it seemed like a silhouette of a bizarre looking beowolf was standing behind them. Within a blink of an eye, the silhouette disappeared. Michelle was standing behind the dissipating wolves. She was holding twin hand scythes. "So, you already drank the blood of wolf, haven't you?" Michelle walked towards him, she put her scythes away, into the holsters on her back. She walked up to Nathaniel and crossed her arms. Eyes returning to their normal golden color with the occasional black streak, Nathaniel yelled, "Okay! I'll admit it, I let my guard down! I left Requiem in the cave and was ambushed by a beowolf! What else was I supposed to do at the time?" Frustrated to no end at his sister, Nathaniel gathered up his materials and started the long process of repairing his chakram. Michelle was confused by the outburst.

"Why are you frustrated? I was asking a general question that would help clarify what I had seen… I'm not scolding you for it… Besides… most of the family had to do the same thing… it's not really that big of a deal when you think about it…" Michelle stated nonchalantly. She sighed and began to leave the clearing. "I'll leave you be for now to your work…" she walked through the forest and looked at every bit of detail that it had. From cuts in the trees to claw marks on the ground. She followed every single one to find something that had caused them, or at least something that would be a good resource for the rest of their time in the forest.

~later that evening~

Just finishing the repairs, Nathaniel headed back towards the cave, exhausted. When he got there, he noticed it was seemingly empty. Going to the back, he laid down and closed his eyes to try to relax a little. After about thirty minutes, he noticed something was off. Sighing, he sat up, eyes still closed, and said, "I know you're there, sis, and I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I still don't have full control over him." There was a low growl coming from the shadows. The cave was dark. Red eyes glowed from the darkness. Something very large and very angry was in the cave with him. "Michelle, if that's you, it's not funny. We both know it will end in a tie if we fight. We both had the same training." Opening his eyes, Nathaniel saw the glowing eyes, so he quickly put his hair in a bun, using a pair of sharpened sticks to hold it in place, and drew the newly repaired chakram. A roar rung out of the cave, sharp white claws swung down towards Nathaniel.

Just as the claw drew near him, a gun shot shot echoed through the cave. Something had suddenly pierced the Grimm's chest. It seemed that a sword, or at least, shards of a sword had pierced through its chest. As the Grimm fell, Nathaniel relied on his faunus heritage to see who saved his life. Michelle pulled the the blade back, having it connect its shards together. "By the way, leaving the cave open isn't really the best idea." Sighing while watching the deceased Grimm dissipate, Nate replied, "I could've handled it, sis." With that being said, he laid back down, Michelle rolled her eyes. "I am your big sister, sorry I do have a protective nature!" she giggled a bit. "I checked around the forest for anything out of the ordinary… the forest seems to be different camps out there… all abandoned from use years ago… probably from our parents setting up camp when they took this trail…" she stated. Michelle sat near Nathaniel. Rolling over to lay on his stomach, Nathaniel stared at Michelle as he replied "Well, you can use them, sis. I am not leaving the one place I call home." With that said, Nate closed his eyes and fell into a light slumber, leaving Michelle with her thoughts. Michelle sighed and left the cave, leaving Nathaniel to his slumber.

~3 years later~

There is static coming through the earpiece before a voice is heard. _"Do you see the target?"_ Tapping his earpiece to try and relieve the static, Nathaniel waited a couple of second before replying, "Yes. Target is in the street. Should I proceed with the plan?" Nathaniel had been called out for an assassination, leaving Michelle behind in the forest. _"Wait...Who's that joining the target?"_ Surprised at this, Nathaniel crouched on the rooftop to get a better view of the street. As he watched, a new figure stepped out from an alley at the end of the street, causing the target to stop in their tracks.

The voice echoed through the earpiece, _"Shit! That's not one of ours!"_

Standing up slowly, Nathaniel calmly grabbed Requiem and stepped over the edge. Nearing the ground, the shadows came up and formed silhouettes of him, which grabbed him, set him lightly on the ground, and slid back into the ground. Crouching back down, with his right arm drawn behind him, Nathaniel slowly walks forward while not making a sound. When he was within throwing range of his target, Nathaniel tensed his body, ready to throw, when the mysterious figure calmly pulled out some type of gun and shot the target, blowing off their head. Now angered, Nathaniel took the earpiece out and slid it into his pocket as he realigned his aim towards the figure.

"I know you're there, kid. Put your weapon away and come on out, and I just might spare you."

 _'Hmph. So this guy's perceptive, I've got to give him that.'_ Putting Requiem away while standing up to his full 5'4 height, Nathaniel walked out of the building's shadow. The figure had a black cloak that covered most of them, crimson fangs on the back of it while the bottom of it looked like it had been torn and ripped. The figure turned to look at Nathaniel, making sure he couldn't see their face. The pistol was pure black with four blades in the barrel.

"Who sent you?" The figure demanded. They made sure that there were no opens on them, since the cloak hid their movements from him. "I am not exactly a patient person… and I am in no mood to be lied to…" the hood of the cloak twitched a bit, giving a bit of a hint of what race the person was. They set the hammer kept their finger on the trigger, their hand had a black fingerless glove on it with a red wolf on the back of it. Black claws on their fingertips from the hand that could be seen.

Holding his hands in the air calmly, Nathaniel spoke slowly and clearly, "I was sent here by a neutral party that wanted to advance. They couldn't due to the person at your feet, but since you went ahead and killed them, I guess we probably have the same client." Gradually, sounds started growing louder from the alleyway the stranger emerged from. "Looks like they are coming this way… thought i lost them…" the figure commented. "Let's get going before we're caught…" The figure grabbed Nathaniel by his wrist before he had a chance to do anything and started running away from alley with him, the sounds were like soldiers wearing heavy armor. The gun still in their hand.

After making a couple of turns, the figure ran into an abandoned warehouse and practically pushed Nathaniel to the floor and hid to the side of the door. He had a much better view of what the figure looked like. They wore a helmet that had a resemblance to a wolf, having black and dark grey colours in its design. Black fingerless gauntlets that had red markings that had the faint reminder of a creature of Grimm. A black tank top that was torn at the mid section, showing a well toned stomach that had a scar coming from their back stretched to their waist. A black vest that had a few steel plates on the side of it. They also had black pants and silver greaves on their lower body. A black belt that just hung on their waist with a bizarre looking silver buckle. From the way their body is, they appear to be female.

"Sorry about that by the way… I was doing a few jobs that ended up attracting armed guards that seemed to have tracked me down… I think I lost them though…" The figure holstered the pistol to their back. "Just to clarify something, I doubt the guy who hired you could afford to hire me… Now you answer my question… What faction do you belong to? If you don't know what I mean, I am talking about mercenary factions… I am from a very brutal one… normally, I don't leave witness… be grateful I let you live…" she said. Her eyes gave a fierce look towards Nathaniel, as if trying to intimidate him. The armed guards seemed to have lost them and left the area.

Sighing in defeat, Nathaniel reached slowly into his shirt, holding up his free hand as the woman started to aim at him. Calmly, Nathaniel told her, "I'm just grabbing my identification. No need to kill me." After saying this, he finally pulled out a black, rock-like necklace that has an amethyst hanging on it. Engraved in the amethyst was the head of a dragon. "Does this answer your question?" The woman mgiggled a bit. "I didn't take you for the kind of guy that would be with the Amethyst Dragons. They very rarely take assassination missions. Unless you're only a scout." She puts her pistol in the holster on her back and stands up straight. "I'm part of the most… Infamous… group. Ever heard of the Crimson Fang before?" She tilted her head and stared at his eyes. Behind her helmet, Nathaniel could see red eyes, there also seemed to be three lines making a scar over her right eye. Tilting his head to the side, Nathaniel took a minute to process the information before replying, "Actually, yes. You are one of our biggest competitors. I don't believe this meeting was a coincidence though, so tell me why we shared the same target. Don't lie, as I know you have the truth." the woman giggled a bit. "I had received word that the Amethyst Dragons were planning to an assassination for once. As the Crimson Fangs second in command, I thought it best to… 'Teach' them that there is a reason they don't dare take the Crimson Fangs terf… but when I felt your presence, I was shocked. I've met mostly everyone of the Amethyst Dragons… not a single one had an aura as dark as yours… I thought you were Crimson Fang… then again… given your family history… I'm not surprised you have that kind of aura. Before you ask, I do my research about people before confronting them. Like how I knew I wouldn't have already been seen by the snipers that were positioned on the roofs near the target ready to fire at anyone on the roof. You were spotted before you even made your move…" the woman began to leave.

"I suggest a change in who you work for… though… I'm surprised your parents didn't force you into the group they lead…" she said just before opening the door to leave. Chuckling, Nathaniel held up a hand to stop her. "Oh, they will, I just haven't finished the family tradition yet. The only reason I'm here is that they thought this was too good an opportunity to pass up. I still have a few more years to go." The woman giggled. "I look forward to working with you then." She walked into the shadows and disappeared in an instant.

Shaking his head, Nathaniel raises his arm to his side as a shadow slowly rises to just above the tips of his ears. He quickly dashed through the shadow, ending up just outside his family's bullhead, slightly startling the pilot. "Geez kid, at least send some warning next time before you do that!" Waving the pilot off, Nathaniel climbed into the bullhead, waiting for the pilot to finish his system of checks to start the day trip home.

~2 days later~

After telling his parents about the failed attempt, Nathaniel returned to his isolated part of the forest. Taking a couple of minutes to readjust to the forest's natural sounds, Nathaniel was almost taken unaware by Michelle sneaking up behind him. Turning at the last second, he grabbed his sister's wrist as it was about to jab his side. Michelle smiled and giggled. "Your getting better! But… you missed one key detail…" a pistol, much like the one that the Crimson Fang mercenary had, except with red accents of a dragon on the sides of it pointed at his neck. It was held up by shadows. "You forget that I have a fine control over my semblance." Michelle smiled at him. Looking around, Nathaniel just smirked. "I think you forgot something also. I have a more versatile semblance." At this, he dissipated into shadows as Michelle was pulled backwards and thrown onto her back. Above her stood the real Nathaniel with a wide grin on his face. Michelle laughed a bit. "You got me there! Or have you?" she sunk into the shadow her brother left below. A hand grabbed Nathaniel from behind and a small scythe blade rested at his neck. "How did your mission go anyways?" Nathaniel sighed as this question was expected. Before replying, Nathaniel quickly grabbed his sister's hand holding the scythe, pulling it away from his neck while twisting it, making it drop and catching it on his boot. "Not good. Someone beat me to the target. Someone more skilled than even you. They knew how to hide their scent from even Faunus like us. And I think that I was offered a job, but I'm not sure. I'm assuming you've heard of the Crimson Fang."

Michelle sighed and leaned against a tree. "Yeah… ruthless and bloodthirsty… most of them being faunus and barely any humans… it is no White Fang,that's for sure… the only way to get in is if you sacrifice four teeth to be replaced with crimson ones… which is how they got their name to begin with… the origin of how they actually got it is beyond me… another way is being born into it… If your canines are crimson, you're already with them… only way out is to rip them out… But then again… you have to be insane to a degree to want to do that…" Michelle had crimson fangs for as long as the two can remember. "Why did you bring them up?"

Sighing as he ran a hand through his messy hair, Nathaniel waved his hand between them, causing the shadows between them to form a picnic table with two benches. Taking a seat, he took a couple of seconds to organize his thoughts before speaking. "Before I tell you, I want to make one thing clear. I want this to stay between us. Not even mom and dad know what I am about to say. Alright?" Michelle sat on the table with her feet on the bench. "I won't say anything… Doesn't mean they won't find out on their own…" Sighing as he ran his hand through his hair again, Nathaniel replied, "I know… it's just that I want to keep them misinformed for as long as possible. But you're not going to like what I have to say. I met the Crimson Fang's second in command. She was the one who took out the target. Her last words to me were 'I look forward to working with you then.' That is why I believe I was offered a job… But I know what happens to those who betray our parents." At this, Nathaniel slowly rubs his side. "Hell, I can still feel the reward for failure. Good thing I didn't say anything about the Crimson Fang… That would've made it a lot worse…"

Michelle sighed. "That's dad for you… mom is actually quiet lenient… she at least got me covers for my fangs whenever I go see dad… He hates the Crimson Fang…" Michelle leaned forward and shivered a bit. "At least now it's not as bad… he is starting to believe I am actually his daughter…"

Nodding in understanding, Nathaniel turned on the bench and slowly lowered himself to where he was laying on his back with his hands underneath his head. "I agree with you there. The only reason I don't have broken ribs is due to mom being there… Dad is always the more paranoid of the two… he thought I killed the target and received the payment myself…" Laughing slightly, he looked towards Michelle. "He really needs to see a psychiatrist, don't you think?"

Michelle smiled lightly. "Yeah… but according to mom, he had already seen one… only to have shot them in the head because they annoyed him…" Michelle perked up and smiled at Nate with a lot more happiness than what the tone had. "Do you remember when mom told us about her time as a mercenary? The time she had to 'clean up' a town from a Grimm infestation?"

Sitting up faster than he laid down, Nathaniel chuckled slightly before replying, "Oh yeah! That was my favorite one. My favorite part was when she described the town's reaction to the Grimm!" Sighing happily, he laid back down with a smile on his face. Michelle giggled. "Yup! They didn't quite understand what they were looking at. They stared at the Grimm for what seemed like hours. They looked at each other and looked back at the Grimm for a moment. They then went on with their lives until one of the Grimm roared in their face and people then started to panic! I find it funny that they thought the Grimm were just people in really nice Grimm costumes!" Michelle's ears perked up and she looked up into the sky.

Sensing something was off, Nathaniel waved Michelle off the table before he dispersed it and hid underneath the shadows of a tree. After a couple of seconds, Nathaniel's ears perked up and swerved to the west. "I hear it now, sis. But, the question is, is it a Griffon or a Nevermore?" Making eye contact with Michelle, he saw a familiar look in her eyes. "Please don't tell me… I know what you're going to say, and I think it's a bad idea." Michelle grinned. She picked up her scythe and put it away. "What? You don't want to 'hitch a ride'?" two swords extended from her bracers as she got ready. Sighing as he pulled Requiem out and covered it in shadows, converting it into the dual-tonfas, he said, "Do I even have a choice? It's the only way to stick together." At this, two Griffons cleared the tree line above them. Michelle launched one of her swords at the Griffon on the right, only to lift up into the air, laughing as she being lift up. "Guess I get right!" she yelled out.

As Nathaniel watched, he flicked his wrist in front of him, causing the shadows there to form into an Ursa. As he leapt onto one its hands, the shadow Ursa launched him upwards. Soon, he passed the Griffon on the left, startling it with his speed. As he reached the peak of his flight, the Grimm chose that moment to chase him. When it came level, he spun slightly to the side, latching onto the Griffon's back with the left tonfa, drawing a pained squawk. "How's that for style, sis?!" he yelled below him. Michelle was standing on the back of the Grimm, her swords latched into its back. "Not too bad! Have you thought of a landing strategy yet?" She yelled as she made her Griffon start to fly higher into the sky, her grin ever present.

As she drew level with Nate, he only laughed as the streaks in his eyes threatened to overtake the gold. "I would be an idiot if I came up here without one. And you know I'm not an idiot," he replied, guiding his Griffon underneath Michelle's, pulling Requiem out of his Grimm's back and sending said creature into the shadow of Michelle's Griffon. Falling towards the ground, he summoned a shadow directly underneath him, bringing his Griffon back into this realm. As it flew up away from the shadows, Nate did a half flip and landed, standing, on its back, arms outstretched, as the Grimm reluctantly landed. "How was that?" He yelled.

Michelle jumped off her Griffon and ripped out her swords from its back. It roared out in pain before flying down towards Michelle, obviously not to happy about being used as a ride before having blades plunged into its back, and having those same blades ripped out. As it flew closer to her, Michelle had her sword wrap around the griffon, her feet pressed against, giving her a chance to push it back. She leaned her head close to the Griffon's beak, her smile still there. Giving the grimm a quick kiss on the beak before having the blades of her sword squeeze and tear apart the Griffon. Michelle had jumped away and used her swords to swing her way back down. Michelle landed next to Nate, her grin never faltered. "Not bad, but I think mine was better!"

Nathaniel shook his head as he said, "Well, you are biased. At least I can still use my Griffon for more landings." As he said this, he summoned a shadow and sent the panicking Grimm back into the shadows. "And I just realized, you just might be more insane than me." After a couple of seconds, Nathaniel's composure cracked as he started laughing loudly. Michelle couldn't help but laugh along with him as she started holding her sides. "To be fair, I gave it a kiss before I slaughtered it!" Snorting in his laughter, Nathaniel replied brokenly, "That's why… I said… you might be!" Michelle grinned. "I have done a lot more crazy things to Grimm you know! They are curious creatures, but humans have more of my interest in them! I have yet to find one that wouldn't beg for me to stop torturing them! Hell, I even think I scared dad one he saw me torturing someone!" Michelle fell back to the ground laughing more.

Nate just rolled his eyes while trying to contain his laughter, eventually collapsing next to Michelle on the ground laughing. Michelle relaxes and looks up at the sky. "You know, I am going to be joining Crimson Fang, right?" Michelle sits up and looks at Nate. Nate turns his head towards her. "I knew you would. The question of when is the only thing on my mind right now. I would be surprised if they haven't contacted you yet." Turning his head back towards the dimming sky, a lone memory flashed through his head. "You want to know something?"

Michelle crossed her legs and smiled. "Sure!" Sitting up, Nathaniel looked Michelle in the eyes. "I think I finally realized the reason I ran into that woman. I think she knew I would tell you about her and the Crimson Fang. I think she meant for you to know they knew how to contact us...but most of all, I think she may be somehow related to us." Michelle tilted her head. "Really? I know I've heard rumors about the second in command, but I never thought they might have a bit of truth to them." Michelle stood up and looked up at the sky. Sitting up on his propped elbows, Nathaniel says, "My reasoning for this, Michelle, is that she had a semblance similar to ours, only she used it to travel. Isn't the control over shadows unique to our family?"

Michelle nods. "To be second in command, you have to be related to the one in charge though…" Michelle smiled and revealed her crimson fangs. "Maybe that explains why I was born with crimson fangs!"

Nathaniel taps his chin in thought. "You know, the second in command looked oddly familiar. But I can't place who she could be. She did have a pistol similar to yours. Who all has seen your pistol that is related to us?" Michelle flinched a bit. "I modeled my pistol after mom's… she taught me to make one the exact same except with a difference in design and had me turn it as a scythe instead of her curved… dagger…"

With a look of shock, Nate jumped up to his feet and looked Michelle in the eyes. "You don't think…?" Michelle smiled widely and the look in her eyes changed as well. "I think mom is either keeping secrets from us and basically told you that we are going to be in Crimson Fang, or she is just pretending to work for them to get under dad's skin!" Nathaniel shook his head, "No, I don't think it's the last one. This woman had real crimson fangs. I know they were real because of how the moonlight glinted off of them. The caps don't have the same glint. We need to have a talk with mom, don't we?" the sound of an engine roared in the sky. "From the sound of it, it seems dad might be paying us a… visit… mom might be with him this time… I do agree with you though… we do need to have a chat…" Michelle's eyes widened. "Shit I didn't bring my fang covers with me!"

Holding up a finger, Nathaniel reached down through his shadow, pulling out his clenched fist. "Here. Mom gave me some spares in case this happened. You can be forgetful at times." Opening his hand were exact replicas of the covers Michelle forgot. Michelle smiled and put the covers on, she growl putting them in.

"Shut up… I hate wearing the covers… I didn't think I would be seeing dad ever again at this point…" Michelle snapped at him. The family bullhead flew above them and slowed down. It began to lower and hatches opened. A tall male wolf faunus wearing a pure black suit, he had a scowl on his face as he stared at the two of them. A woman with a large smile on her face waved at them. The bullhead landed and shut off. As soon as the wind settled, the two adults stepped off the bullhead towards the two preteens. Nathaniel bowed his head slightly towards the man, "Hello father. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

The man walked of and glared towards the to. "I came to see you both about a job opening… There is an order put out to kill a Schnee family member… it doesn't matter which one…" the woman sighed and elbowed him in the sighed before giving him an uppercut to the jaw. "That is not true…" the woman growled out as their father stumbled back. "Someone by the name of Herald Schnee laughed at him for spilling his wine on his good suit… No job… I was just wondering how you two have been holding up and if you decided on changing your mind about joining the family mercenary group! I still don't know the name of it…" The woman had a scar over her right eye. The man scowled. "I told you hundreds of times! Its Shadow Claw!" The man yelled at her. "Father, if I may interrupt, but may we speak to mother alone real quickly?" Nathaniel asked, motioning between him and Michelle.

Their father straightened up and shrugged. "Fine… I'll give you two 10min…" he sent Michelle a glare before leaving the three alone. Nathaniel looked towards the woman, and with a slight gleam in his eyes, spoke to her. "Hello mom. How's your back holding up, with that scar and all." their mother smiled. "It's been doing good! I haven't had it ache on me for a while! Why do you ask?" Nathaniel took a second to reply, saying, "I just thought that it would ache after a bit of running is all. And I know how you like to run, especially with your pistol on your person. I thought I saw you sweating a bit when I came back from my mission." Nathaniel nudges Michelle's foot, drawing a scarred eye in the ground next to a fang with his toe.

Michelle nodded and looked up to her mother. "I also wonder why I have crimson fangs… I wanted to know the reason behind it for some time now." their mother sighed and groaned. "You know, I think I raised you two way to well if you can now detect those sort of things in an instant… look, we don't have that much time to talk about it before your father comes back… Ask away then since you two seemed to have questions." the woman straightened her back. "Why have you been keeping this a secret, mom?" Nathaniel asked, slightly lowering his ears.

"Truth be told, I didn't mean to hide it from you two… It was your father and his stupid vendetta with the head of Crimson Fang… things were said and you know how your father gets when people tend to show him up and make him look stupid…" their mother sighed. "My father, your grandfather, decided that the vendetta had gone on long enough… At first, I was tasked to kill him… Then something unexpected happened…" Michelle was listening very closely. "You two fell for each other, didn't you?" Nate asked. Their mother smiled. "Not exactly, I broke into his house and saw him getting out of the shower, I panicked and tripped trying to get out that I ended up stabbing my stomach. At the time, he was nice and helped me back to feel health, even though I told him that I was meant to kill him…"

Nathaniel nods, satisfied with the answer he received. He motioned to Michelle, signaling her to ask. "Why was I born with crimson fangs?" Michelle asked. Their mother thought for a bit. "I am not entirely sure how that process works… I was born with them and I asked my father about it… he shrugged and said, and I quote, 'Magic motherfucker.' then shot someone in the head because he felt like it." she smiled. Nathaniel whistled and said, "Damn! So there is no way to determine who will get the crimson coloring?"

"That's right. The only other way is getting your teeth pulled. Though, that's only if one has crimson fangs and the other doesn't. If both do, it's guaranteed!" she smiled and nodded. Their father began walking towards them. Nodding, Nathaniel scratched out the drawing he made before their father drew even with their mother. "I hope you had enough time to talk about what you wanted to…" he didn't sound to happy. Nathaniel bowed his head again, "Yes father. That was plenty of time. Thank you once again for your kindness."

Their father nodded and looked at Michelle. "What about you? Are you going to show me gratitude?" he asked her. Michelle only bowed and didn't say a word. "Good… but now I have a question… why didn't you report to me after your mission in the mountains was complete?" Michelle flinched. Nathaniel's ears swiveled imperceptibly towards Michelle, as he thought she had reported in. "I forgot father… please forgive me…" Michelle looked on the ground, trying not to look their father in the eye.

"Oh? You forgot did you?" his hand swung up and slashed at her right eye. "Your lying…" he stated. Michelle groaned, not letting him hear her scream from the pain. Her right eye shut tight as she placed a hand on the wound. "Father, if I may speak up for a minute," Nate interjected as their dad pulled back for another slash. "Michelle is forgetful. I am not saying this because she's family, I am saying this because it is the truth. Have I ever lied to you before, father?" their father thought for a moment and lowered has clawed hand. "This is true… I'll let it slide this time… take it as a punishment for forgetting… Let's go, Sia…" Their father got on the bullhead with their mother.

Michelle fell to her knees and put pressure on her face. "F-Fuck…" Nathaniel quickly dove his hand into his shadow, pulling out some gauze wrap and cotton pads. "May I bind it up for you, or do you want to do it?" Michelle removed her hand from her face and gritted her teeth. "Y-You do it… my hands are trembling to much to keep it steady…" she kept her right eye closed. Nodding, Nathaniel carefully applied the cotton and gauze, slowing with every wince. When it was done, Nathaniel stood up and took a few steps back. After his treatment, Michelle now had a makeshift bandage running over the right side of her face. "Alright, if you keep it covered and dry, it should heal in about two to three weeks." Frowning slightly, Nathaniel reached out and held Michelle's hand. "You doing alright?"

Michelle nodded, her ears flattened against her head. "Yeah… thank you… You didn't have to lie to him…" she looked at the ground. Smiling slightly, Nathaniel shook his head. "I have lied to him far more than you think. He just sucks at seeing the truth. Only you and mom have been able to see through me. I still don't know how you two do it." Michelle's ears twitch. "The pitch in your voice changes a tiny bit. It is very hard to notice for some that aren't trying to listen very closely." she stands up and smiles.

Smiling, Nathaniel started walking north, pulling out Requiem in tonfa form. "It's getting a bit late. I think it's time you get some rest. I'll get a fire started at the cave, you just get your ass there and relax as best as you can, m'kay?" Michelle giggled. "Alright. No work and no play, just resting by a fire and waiting for it to heal enough to not get distracted by it!" she starts heading towards the cave. Chuckling, Nathaniel starts creating a few more clearing to have enough firewood for the next month. When he returned to the cave with carrying only a handful of firewood, he was relieved to find his sister sitting on the ground. Setting down his load quietly, he walked up on her right side silently.

"It feels nice, to be away from dad… he reminded me of how nice it is." Michelle said. "Yeah...and you can take the covers off now, you know," Nathaniel said while pulling a couple of handfuls of firewood out of his shadow, setting them in front of Michelle before lighting the pile with the fire crystal embedded in Requiem. "Also, this can be a great opportunity to train yourself further." Michelle smiled softly at him. "Train myself in what way? Fighting with one eye? I can already shatter a boulder, I think I am good with my training…" she sighed and lied down. Sighing while setting more firewood off to the side, Nathaniel replied, "You know that's not what I mean. You rely too much on sight and sound. I was thinking of making an eyepatch and two sets of earplugs so you can train your sense of smell. Unlike you, I don't rely on sight and sound. I rely on scent instead." After setting the last log with the extras, Nathaniel sat across the fire from Michelle. "And I know you didn't immediately relax like I told you to once you got here."

"How can you tell?" Michelle asked. Nathaniel just smirked and tapped his nose. "Everything leaves a scent trail… Even Grimm. I can tell where you were and how long ago you were there. With that said, I know you were trying to get deeper in the cave just before I came back. I don't think going past the cave in is a wise idea. I have smelled loads of Grimm behind it. Surely you must've heard their scratching?" Michelle growled a bit. "I do not like feeling their presence…" Michelle rolled on the ground a bit and sighed after coming to a stop. "I know they are there and I don't like it… why can't we kill them already?"

Nathaniel sighed. "I have scented more than just the regular Grimm types behind the cave in. I scented something strange and unusual. Something stronger than normal Grimm." Leaning back against the wall, Nathaniel stared at the cave ceiling. Michelle growls and stands up. "What makes it so strong? We've killed thousands of grimm! What makes that one so different?" she snapped at him. Nathaniel closed his eyes, and when he opened them, the left one had changed color. Instead of the normal gold iris with black streaks, it was now solid black with gold streaks. "The scent is not new. It is old and alive! Remember what our instructor told us about ancient Grimm and how they have been able to learn? This one is at least a hundred years old! How much do you think it has learned, huh? Do you honestly think we, two mercenaries in training, can take on something that experienced?!" Nathaniel snapped back. After he finished, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and took some deep breaths. Upon opening his eyes, his left had reverted back to its normal coloring.

Michelle's eye changed from its normal red iris and white sclera, now the red was on pure black and her voice changed in an instant. " **I will handle it one way or another!** " she snapped at him again. Sighing to himself and whispering something so silently that even Michelle couldn't pick it up, Nathaniel spoke, and both eyes had changed. This voice was full of joy as it spoke, " **Do you honestly think you are in any condition to do anything of the sort right now? You are hilarious if you do.** " As he said this he pointed to her bandage, continuing with, " **That will take at least a few weeks to fully heal, as my other self said. There is no way to heal the process, so it is best to just wait patiently so as not to lose sight in that eye. If you decide not to wait, don't say I didn't warn you.** " With that said, Nathaniel laid down and closed his eyes, while still awake.

Michelle gritted her teeth and she growled. " **I have to try…** " She walked towards the caved in section and placed her hand on one of the rocks. " **I wouldn't do that if I were you** ," Nathaniel sang, eyes still closed. Michelle punched the caved in section and broke some of the rocks. " **I am going to pull this off…** " Nathaniel giggled as the scents grew stronger. " **You're making a mistake sis!** " he replied, in the same singsong tone as earlier. Michelle punched only a small hole through the rocks, behind it were glowing red eyes in complete darkness. She got her swords ready. " **I am not making a mistake, I know what I am doing…** " Nathaniel was at her side in an instant, holding a hand out. Looking at her black eyes with his, he spoke, " **At least let me explain why I said that, with a question. How do you think all those Grimm got back there? There were no trails other than that ancient Grimm leading into the cave.** "

Michelle gritted her teeth. " **Remind me, what location is this mountain in?** " Nathaniel sadly looked off toward the cave entrance as his eyes returned to normal. "Just a few miles north of the abandoned settlement, Mountain Glenn. Now you know why I say we can't do anything here?" Michelle smirked and vanished into the shadows, planning on going in anyways. Nathaniel just redirected her destination to his shadow, sighing as he said, "If you're going to be stubborn about it, I can't let you go in alone with your condition." With that, he pulled out Requiem in tonfa form and intentionally sliced his right shoulder. As the wound quickly scabbed over, his eyes changed back to black with gold streaks as he put Requiem away, allowing his nails and canines to grow into claws and fangs. " **Now what do you say we have a little fun, big sis?** "

Michelle smiled widely and laughed. " **Now your talking!** " She charged the wall and broke the rest of it, slicing Grimm left and right.

As Michelle ran in, Nate calmly walked in, allowing the shadows to form exact duplicates of himself and his sister, with their respective weapons. As soon as he was left behind, he got surrounded by an Ursa, a King Taijitu, and five Beowolves. As the Grimm drew in, he just laughed as he shadow stepped behind the Ursa, thrusting his clawed hand into its back and pulling out its spine. As it fell, the Beowolves charged, earning each of them the loss of their throats. All the while, he was laughing insanely. With only the King Taijitu left, it started to encircle him. As he waited, one of the shadows came up and disgraced the large snake enough for Nathaniel to grab one of the white head's eyes and rip it out, drawing a shriek of pain. The joy didn't last long, as the black head quickly took advantage of his exposed back. Or so it thought, as it received a spear to the roof of its mouth. As Nate walked away, shadowy spear in one hand, King Taijitu eye in the other, the white head was mauled by a shadowed Ursa Major. " **How's it going over there, sis?** " he shouted across the mayhem.

Michelle had taken out her scythes and attached them, extending them into its double sided form, she had grown to calling it Xephor. She threw Xephor at the Grimm, causing it to spin, slicing off limbs as it flew. She jumped into the air to get out of a group of Ursai and Beowolves surrounding her, grabbing her scythe and landing on something weird. " **I'm fine on my end! Though, I don't think I landed on ground just now…** " she lifted up her foot to inspect it. It was black blood that had started getting a grip on her. " **Okay, this is not ordinary blood… it seems… alive…** " she sudden suck into the living blood.

"Fuck!" Nathaniel said as he regained control. Shadow stepping over to where he last saw Michelle, he saw what he feared. The Wyvern, with its forever bleeding hide. Quickly heading back to the King Taijitu he killed earlier, he ripped the spine out in one piece and went back to the Wyvern. Sinking one end of the spine into the living blood, he yelled, "If you can hear me, find the spine and give a firm tug so I can pull you out!"

Michelle looked around where she was. Pitch black darkness. She felt the blood moving all around her. She heard her brother's voice, reach for the spine. She grabbed it and could feel the blood trying to keep her in place. She tugged on the spine and tried to yell out for her brother. She regretted trying to yell, the living blood made sure of that.

Upon feeling the tug, Nathaniel created more clones, stretching his aura to the limits. _'Alright, those who aren't fighting Grimm, find a spot on the spine, and HEAVE!'_ he commanded the clones. With the combined effort of semblance enhanced clones and an aura enhanced Faunus, they were able to pull out a blood covered Michelle. Quickly sending the excess clones away, Nate did his best to pick his sister up, barely managing to stand and get out of the cave with the Wyvern. As they cleared the opening, Nathaniel set Michelle down, grabbed Requiem, took out the fire dust crystal, and threw it at the top of the opening, reforming the cave in wall. After making sure it was stable, and making sure no Grimm were anywhere near the cave, he fell forwards and passed out.

~24 hours later~

Michelle screamed and rolled around on the ground, holding her head tightly. Upon hearing his sister's screams, Nathaniel fought the darkness of sleep to get to her side. Once awake, he felt the cold stone floor underneath his face. Standing up slowly. He made his way over to Michelle. "What's wrong sis?! Can you stop screaming long enough to try to explain?" The blood on her had vanished, she gritted her teeth and stopped screaming. "It hurts! My head feels like a small jackhammer is going wild inside my head!"

Silently cursing himself, Nathaniel looked underneath her bandage, in her hair, and on the back of her head, but found nothing out of the ordinary. While searching a thought came to him. "Michelle, can you open your eyes, please? I need to make sure of something." Michelle opened her eyes opened. Instead of a bright red, they were blood red, black lines were on the sclera. "I-Is something wrong?" Nathaniel took a deep breath before replying. "First, answer this question. Did you ingest _ANY_ of the Wyvern's blood?"

Michelle thought for a moment, something in her head felt weird when she tried to remember it. "I…. I don't know… I can't remember…" Nathaniel slowly reached into Michelle's shadow, pulling out a delicate hand mirror and holding it up for her to look. "It just doesn't feel right telling you. I think you should see for yourself." Michelle's eyes widened and she trembled seeing her reflection. "No… I… I couldn't have… I," she slapped his hand to get rid of the mirror. "Just… I don't know what to do…" Nate just calmly put the mirror away as he said, "Think back. Did anything happen between you getting sucked into the Wyvern's blood and me pulling you out with a Taijitu spine? I know it is hard, but this is really important, sis." Michelle thought hard. "I could feel it moving around me… it felt… weird… then… I saw the spine and heard your voice. When I grabbed it… I… I yelled out for you…" her eyes widened. "I-It flowed into me… I felt it in my wound to… Fuck…" she held her head and and trembled.

Nate ran a hand through his hair. "Shit, shit shit shit shit! No one knows what that'll do to th- Wait! Mom might know. Remember, she has a scar also, so she might have had some Grimm blood get in the wound! Do you feel up for some traveling, sis?" Michelle looked up at him. "I think I can do it. But if we try to head home, won't dad try to kill us?" Smirking as he slowly picked Michelle up, he replied, "Only if he knows we're there. There are some areas at home he never goes that mom frequents. One of them is the roof, where I plan on taking us. Hold on tight. This'll be disorienting." Michelle held onto Nate tightly. "I've travelled through the shadows before… I'm sure I'll be okay…" she was confident.

Chuckling, Nate just said, "Okay, but we are traveling farther than you ever have in one trip." With that said, he stepped into the nearest shadow, and stepped out about two hundred miles away from the cave. Looking down at Michelle, he asked, "You okay?" Michelle was feeling really dizzy. "It is normal for trees to be spinning in a circle while attached to the ground?" Chuckling, Nate just continued into the next shadow, stepping out another two hundred miles away, saying, "After awhile, you get used to the distortion. Trust me." He kept this pace up for the next six hours until he stepped out onto the roof of the Zellos family home. "Okay, let's wait here for mom to come up. Then we can ask her for help. Okay?" Michelle nodded and and yawned.

Sia opened the door to the roof and nearly screamed seeing the two. She rushed towards them and yelled at them in a hushed tone. "What are you two doing here?! What if your father sees you?!" she snapped at them. Michelle just looked at her and yawned. "I'm getting a bit tired now Nate…" Looking over at Michelle, Nate said, "Don't fall asleep now, sis!" Looking at Sia, he started to explain what had happened the previous day, and what Michelle had told him. "...and when I figured you might know how to deal with this, I brought her to the roof as dad never comes up here. Please, is there anything you can do, mom?" Sia relaxed and looked at Michelle, she lift the bandages and looked at the scar, it had darkened and healed completely.

"Hmm… So she got wyvern blood in her system… That isn't necessarily bad… but having an opened wound in general near one is a terrible idea… That also goes for any grimm blood, wyvern being the worst though…" Nathaniel just looked at Michelle. "I tried to talk her out of it. But you know how stubborn she gets. Just like father at times." Sia smiled and giggled. "Yeah, all I can say is, keep a close eye on her… I don't know what effects wyvern blood will have…" Michelle closed her eyes and yawned again. "I need to close eyes…" she said tiredly. Yawning himself, Nathaniel was about to stand up when he stumbled slightly. "Heh, guess I over-exerted myself the past tw-" And with that said he fell backwards, into a sitting position, and fell asleep with Michelle. Sia sighed and had her own shadows take them back to the forest. they were placed in an abandoned house. They would wake up the next day or so.

~The next day~

Nathaniel awoke with a pained groan. As he opened his eyes, he did not expect to see a roof over him. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, Nate couldn't scent any Grimm nearby, but scented Michelle off to his left. Standing up, Nathaniel felt pain radiate throughout his entire body. As he slowly made his way over to his sister, he looked around at where they were at. They were in the central room of a four room cottage. In their current room was a dusty table with a lone wooden chair, a small kitchenette with a rusty sink, and a three person couch. Reaching Michelle, Nate opened her left eye to see that the discoloration hasn't spread any further than the previous day. Sighing in relief, he picked her up and went to set her on the couch so she would at least be comfortable when she woke up. After doing that, Nathaniel sat in the lone chair and went back to sleep.

Michelle awoke and looked around the cottage. "Where are we?" she said aloud. Looking up from where he was sitting, Nate just shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Last I remember before waking up here was talking with mom and trying to stand up. After that, I woke up here on the floor. I took the time to put you on the couch, though. How are you holding up? Head still hurting?"

"Not too much…" Michelle slowly sits up. "My body aches a bit, but not too badly…" Michelle looks around more. "Wait… this is one of the abandoned buildings that I found when I first came here… it had a lot of supplies in it." Nathaniel slowly stood up, groaning from the still present pain. Seeing his sister look at him with concern, he waved her off. "I just overused my aura in the past two days. I should be fine in a week or so. You hungry?" he asked as he went to the kitchen. As he rummaged through the cabinets, Nathaniel felt his own stomach grumble at the prospect of food.

In a cabinet above the sink, Nathaniel found a few stacks of canned food. "Jackpot!" Reaching up with a groan, he brought down four of them and dusted them off. "Let's see what we have here, sis," he said as he sat on the edge of the couch. "Beans, rice, beef, and corn. Take your pick," he said as he held them towards Michelle.

"Beef sounds decent!" Michelle smiles and sits at table. "Been awhile since we've had an actually decent meal out here." Placing the can of beef down with an exaggerated motion, Nate set the can of beans down across from Michelle as he placed the last two cans in between them. "Hold on a second, I'll be right back," Nate stated as he drew Requiem in Ronda for and walked outside. A few minutes and a lot of pained words later, he returned with a freshly made wooden chair, which he set down in the same spot as the beans. "Here you go sis," he said as he pulled a can opener from his pocket. "Found this while searching for food."

Michelle giggled and smiled. "Nicely done!" she takes the can opener and opened the can in front of her before handing it back to him. Sighing in relief as he sat down, Nate took the opener and did the same to his meal, before remembering something important. "Hold on one more second. Need to grab something." As he stood back up and went to the kitchen, Nate pointed a finger at his sister. "Don't you dare start without me!" Going over to the kitchen, he opened one of the drawers and took out two forks and two spoons, holding them over his head triumphantly and slowly marching back to the table.

"You don't trust me enough to not eat without you?" Michelle smirked and looked up at him. Handing her one of each as he took his seat again, Nate replied, "You forget, I grew up with you. And I know you like to try to eat before I notice." While he said this, he was waving his spoon at her. Michelle rolled her eyes and smiled. "How much do you think I've eaten while you had your back turned then?" Nathaniel just smirked as he dig his spoon into his can of beans, shoveling a spoonful into his mouth before he satisfied his sister's question. Once his mouth was empty, he simply stated, "At least half of your beef. You still have some of the juice on your chin."

Michelle wiped her chin from the juice. "You're wrong! I ate it all this time…" Nathaniel just chuckled. "I said _'at least'_ half. That implied you probably ate more." Shaking his head, nate simply shoveled more beans into his mouth. Michelle rolled her eyes and smiled. She looked outside and suddenly threw her scythe into the wall next to the window. Not looking up, her brother just sighed and asked a simple question, "Let me guess, Grimm?" Michelle blinked her eyes a few times. "I… I don't know… I thought I saw something…"

Jerking his head up and stabbing his spoon into the table, Nate leaned across the table. "Michelle, can you look me in the eyes and try to explain what you saw?" Michelle looked him in the eye. "It was a dark shadow that was forming behind you. Glowing red eyes and a white mask… It looked like it was about to attack you. When I threw my scythe, it disappeared." Holding her chin, Nate looked her in the eyes. "Sis, I'm sorry to say this, but I think the effect of Wyvern's blood is worse than mom thought. There was nothing there. No scent or sound." Dropping his hand, Nate leaned back into his chair, running a hand through his hair. "This is not good."

Michelle looked down for a moment before standing up. "I'm… I'm going to go for a walk…" she removed her scythe from the wall and holstered it. Opening the front door to leave. "Michelle… if you think you see a Grimm, please make sure it has a scent first, okay? You never know what the blood might make you see as a Grimm," Nate asked with concern.

"I know…" Michelle closed the door behind her and ran into the forest. She started killing any grimm that got close to her.

Nathaniel just sighed and finished his meal before following his sister from a distance. He left enough distance so as he could not be heard easily, but could still follow her trail of dead Grimm. As he drew closer, he saw Michelle standing in a clearing, with a hoard of Grimm dissolving around her. Staying behind the tree line, he just watched as more showed up.

Michelle looked around and got her double bladed scythe out. "Keep it coming… I have all the time in the world for you bastards!" She sliced a beowolf in half with quick succession and jumped over another that pounced on her. Her shadows seemed to be coming off of her as she slayed more grimm. Her scythes spinning like a pinwheel as she practically danced around the Grimm. Sending limbs flying as she moved on to the next Grimm. Once she sliced apart the last Grimm, Michelle began to feel dizzy. "I know you're… there… I can smell you… I feel your aura… I'm not… I'm not losing myself yet… I… I'm feeling tired… I will control it… You don't need to worry about… me…" she put her away and passed out standing up, falling to the ground.

Sighing, Nate stepped out from the tree line and walked over the dissipating corpses towards his sister. Slowly picking her up, Nate made his way back across the slaughter ground and towards the cottage, whispering all the while, "I hope this doesn't get worse."

* * *

 **A/N Dark Dragon Queen of Death: The thrilling start! Michelle might go insane or not. Who knows but me! This is only the beginning!**


	2. Chapter 2: Family

**Nathaniel Zellos: Well, I don't have much to say right now, other than we worked hard on this chapter and hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Family**

 **Third-person P.O.V.**

* * *

After a few months had passed, Michelle and Nathaniel began training each other. Michelle trained for her sense of smell while Nathaniel trained with his hearing. The two stood in a clearing at opposite ends. Nathaniel was wearing makeshift nose plugs while Michelle had makeshift earplugs. This had become routine for them, and they had made immense strides. Michelle stood her ground and waited for her brother to make a move. Not wielding any weapons in her hand. She had even removed her bracers and set them aside. Nathaniel quickly moved towards Michelle's right side, aiming at her ribs with his fist. Michelle grabbed his fist, twirled to his side and tried to elbow him as a counter. Smirking, Nate just moved with the motion, bending his arm and elbowing Michelle in the stomach. Michelle let go of his fist and moved his elbow out of the way. She ducked down and swiped her leg under him to trip him before jumping away.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder than that. Though, if I could use my semblance, you wouldn't be able to land a hit!" Michelle boasted a bit with a large grin on her face. Nate just flipped backwards before his back hit the ground, using the palms of his hands to continue the motion till his feet were under him. "I could say the same. We are evenly matched as it is." he mouthed, getting into his fighting stance with his left arm slightly guarding his face, his right arm guarding his chest, and his feet shoulder width apart. Michelle lowered herself and had her claws at the ready. She watched Nate intently and kept up her guard.

Nate just grinned and ran up into Michelle's face, throwing an elbow to her shoulder. Michelle moved back and swung her leg up to his chin. Nate quickly intercepted her leg with his left hand, moving his head as he proceeded to flip Michelle backwards. Michelle caught herself and lunged at Nate, swiping her claws at him. Nate caught her hands, but didn't compensate for her momentum as they tumbled across the ground, snarling. Michelle smiled and brought her feet up to kick his chest. Nate smirked as she did this, and just moved one of her hands to be gripped in one of his as he wrapped his free arm around her legs. Michelle headbutted Nate to get free as he fall back. Nate just took the headbutt, suffering a broken nose, as he tried to pin down his struggling sister. Michelle struggled more, trying to get free, her claws scratching him periodically. Not able to bear it any longer, Nate released Michelle as he stepped into the tree line out of her sight.

Michelle got up and looked around before sniffing the air. She sat on the ground and waited for him. Nate watched his sister's actions before deciding to risk it. He climbed up the top of the nearest tree and, while waiting for the wind to change, sat on a limb. Michelle closed her eyes and relaxed, she had his scent but decided not to act. As the wind started blowing at his back, Nate quickly changed trees and pounced on Michelle. Michelle waited until the last second before rolling out of the way and swinging her leg down onto him. Hitting the ground with enough force to crack a rib or two, Nate grabbed Michelle's lower leg and twisted it off of him. Michelle grabbed him by his neck and threw him a few feet away from her.

Standing up and popping his neck, Nate stared at Michelle, waiting for her to make a move. Michelle charged at him, only to jump over his head and snap the neck of a beowolf. As Nate turned around, he motioned like he was unplugging his ears, signaling for Michelle to take the earplugs out. Michelle removed her earplugs and smiled. "Seems we had a friend show up!" Nate just shook his head, smiling along with her. "I knew he was there. He just wasn't close enough for me to kill in one hit," he explained.

"Sure you were." She picked up her weapons and put them back in their place. "So, any word about upcoming mercenary work yet?" Nate just shook his head as he pulled some weapon parts out of pockets and began to tinker with them. "Nope. Any word from mom?" Michelle looked down for a moment. "Yeah… she is very worried about us… she said that if it flares up I lose my mind in an instant… But I am not giving up without a fight!" Michelle smiled confidently. Nate stopped tinkering for a second as he looked up, taking out his nose plugs. "Any episodes like the first? Mom _did_ tell me to keep a close eye on you, and that means keeping track of how many times this happens."

Michelle's ears lowered and she sighed. "About… 5 or 6 this month…" She said reluctantly. Slowly breathing out, Nate lowered his head as he resumed tinkering and said, "This isn't good. We need to find someway to at least control it. If you can learn to harness this, you could be unstoppable. Hell, you could probably kill the Wyvern if you harnessed this thing. Come on, I laid some traps around the cottage." Nate smirked as he put the pieces away and looked up. "Let's see if they caught anything." Michele looked up and smiled. "Alright, hopefully its better then a random mouse that we had caught." Nate visibly gagged at that. "Please don't remind me. That is one experience I don't need to relive." Suddenly, his ears perked up as he started laughing. "What about that time we had to eat those berries? Now _that_ was funny!"

Michelle blushed a bit. "Maybe for you… I don't why I ended up in tree… or doing the other things that I would rather forget if you don't mind…" Still laughing, Nate just walked back towards the cottage, waving a hand over his shoulder while shouting, "You're the one that started it! And you tried to eat leaves to get the taste out of your mouth!" As he finished, Nate turned to face Michelle and broke into a fast backwards run. "Race ya home!" Michelle smiled and ran after him. She jumped up into the trees and pounced upwards to get ahead of him. "You're on little brother!" she laughed and smiled.

~a couple minutes later~

Panting heavily, the siblings arrived back at the cottage. Nate leaned against the wall and pulled a can of corn out of his shadow along with the can opener. "Damn, you are still fast as ever. And I thought we agreed not to trip each other during these things?" Michelle, not panting at all, smirked and giggled. "Oh? I don't remember agreeing to that…" she walked over to him and tried to take the can of corn. "Get your own can! They're just inside!" Nate said as he pulled the can closer to him and further from his sister. "And we agreed right before the mouse, if you are keen to 'forget'..." Michelle rolled her eyes and went inside. "I know, I just don't think rules should imply when we race. You know, like taking a job!" Michelle sad as she rummaged through the cupboards.

Sighing, Nate opened his can and ate the corn all at once. "You do know fere are somh jovs that hafe rules too...right?" he yelled with a mouthful. Michelle got out a can of beef and used her claws to open it up. "That depends on what mercenary group you're in and who hired you." Michelle ate almost half the can now. Leaning against the doorframe, Nate set his empty can in the corner shadow, watching as it disappeared. "Not always. Some clients have specific rules for a job. Some may want the target killed a certain way, others may want the target alive but scared. You never know what the job will be until you are told," Nate replied, staring at his sister.

Michelle eats the rest of her can and puts it down. "That is also true. Guess I tend to scare people. Now more than ever." she hinted at the blood of the wyvern that flowed in her blood. Sighing, Nate took a seat on the couch. "True. You're good at intimidation and mass killings. For some reason though, dad has been sending me out on more stealth missions." Michelle sighed. "He has been sending you on more missions in general…" Michelle sat on the kitchen counter. "He doesn't trust me as much as you… He has it out for me…" Nate turned to look at her. "We both know his reasoning, although it is misplaced," he said. Michelle slammed her fist into the counter. "It doesn't seem like he wants me to be there though… He made a rule with me. I am not to say a single word to him unless he asks me to explain myself… he started giving me more yes or no questions because of it…" Michelle got off the counter and winced a bit.

Nate shook his head. "That isn't right. Dad is starting to get as bad with discriminating against those like you and mom as the Schnee's are with all Faunus." Michelle nodded. "Yeah, but he respects mom… she did try to kill him at one point…" Michelle lied on the couch and relaxed. Nate just sighed. "But did he ever know about mom's fangs? If he didn't when they met, he probably has his suspicions now." Michelle nodded. "Yeah… hopefully things with him will lighten up…" Nate shrugged and started tinkering again, this time with bigger parts. "Yeah...hopefully…" he replied. Michelle started to fall asleep and rest.

~one year later~

"So… took me a while, but what do you think?" Nate asked as he held up a purple and grey box. Pressing a button on the top, it expanded into a sniper rifle with a bayonet attached. "Impressive… But I like how I upgraded my weapons more!" Michelle smiles. Nathaniel just held up a finger as he pressed another button, causing the rifle to split in two. The front half compacted as the bayonet slid down away from the barrel, forming a spear. The back half twisted and turned, sprouting another blade as the scope withdrew into the newly revealed short sword. "May I introduce Leaf and Vine, the melee form of Grimm's Thorn." Michelle whistles. "Nice! But do you know how to use a sniper?" Michelle asked. Nate just shrugged. "A little, but it's been years. I could use some practice," he said, reforming the sniper. "Snipers need wind speed, wind direction, and the target!" Michelle smiles.

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Yeah… everything dad had pros teach me is coming back...albeit slowly…" he replied, resting the rifle against his shoulder and aiming at a stack of empty cans. "Good thing we saved these, huh?" Nate asked before aiming a little to the right and up. As he counted in his head, he took a deep breath, released it halfway, and pulled the trigger, missing the cans by an inch. Michelle covered her mouth to try to contain her laughter. "You know skills deteriorate when unused for long periods of time, right? Last time I ever held a sniper rifle was when I was four." Michelle smiled. "Alright, let me see the gun then! I have never held one, Put I aim with pistols, I want to see if it's any different!" Nathaniel handed the rifle over to his sister reluctantly. "The sight may be a bit off. I _did_ finish it today, mind you."

Michelle checked the sight and corrected it. "Off by one foot…" she took aim at the cans. Turning the sight an inch away from the can. She closed her eyes and relaxed. She pulled the trigger and hit the can dead centre, tearing it to pieces. "Good choice in bullets!" Nathaniel took the rifle back, ejecting the spent cartridge and the magazine, handing both to Michelle. "Armor and bone piercing bullets. Useful against both people and Grimm." Michelle inspected the bullets before handing them back. "Perfect for snipers. My bullets are mostly explosive rounds… Hard to make without the risk of exploding, but it's worth every step to watch a grimm suddenly explode!" Michelle giggled and pulled out her twin heavy pistols. "Then again, only mom's pistol that even compares to mine! And I am only classifying pistols for that, so don't worry." Michelle twirled her pistols a bit.

Nate chuckled a bit before transforming Grimm's Thorn back into its carry form. "It's not easy to make these though. It requires the right concentration of fire, ice, and lightning dust. Even if there is one milligram off, the bullet is useless and the dust is wasted. So, these are more expensive, and more dangerous, to make in the long run." Michelle smiled and giggled. "Fair enough, mine is only hazardous because I have to use black dust to make even more lethal. Oh! I got job coming up soon!" Michelle smiled. Nate grinned widely and hugged her. "That's great news, sis! Maybe dad is finally starting to trust you," he said, joy evident in his voice. Michelle giggles. "Yup! Its an assassination and a kidnap mission!"

Nate's ears twitches slightly. "So who're the targets, if you can tell me? I understand if you can't," he asked with curiosity. "I'm killing a bodyguard and kidnap a princess!" Michelle said happily. Nate nodded, releasing Michelle and heading back inside. "So when do you leave for this mission?" Michelle smiled widely. "In a few days! I wonder what the princess is like…" She thought for a moment. Her brother just shrugged as his eyes flashed quickly. "Knowing the jobs dad has been accepting, most likely a stuck up bitch, with a temper to boot," he said. Michelle gave him a smirk. "You never know! She could be a scared pretty girl that is completely innocent to the world due to her nice and quiet upbringing!" she giggled.

"Have you ever known dad to accept a job to take out someone he doesn't have some type of vendetta against?" Nate asked as he rolled his eyes. "It depends on how he feels! I'm sure everything will be fine! It will take me a day to get to the location, two days to plot and execute, and another day to send her off and get back!" Michelle stated proudly. Nate just waved her off as he pulled two sodas from his shadow, tossing one towards Michelle. "Okay… Here's to a good job and a bountiful future!" Michelle catches the soda and raises it. "Here here!" she giggles. Nate just flopped onto the couch, opened his soda, and took a few sips. "You won't believe how hard it was to find these within a couple hundred miles of here. We were lucky that there was a nearly deserted town at the edge of my range." Michelle nodded. "I bet!"

~During Michelle's mission~

Michelle watched from a dark alley for her targets to come by, she had watched them for a few days before finding out their routine. She watched out into the street and saw her two targets walking by. "There they are…" she whispered to herself. Michelle waited a few minutes before stepping out of the alley way and following them. Listening to them carefully as they walked.

"Miss Belicov, please… your father wants you back at the mansion…" a tall man wearing a suit pleaded with a young girl. "It's fine! I want to have a walk outside! Daddy can wait!" a little girl stated. Michelle followed them and watched as they took a quick turn down a dark alley. She smiled and followed them. Once there, she vanished. "Miss… why did you come down through here?" The man asked. "I wanted to be adventurous!" the girl giggled and ran deeper into the alley until she bumped into someone. Michelle's eyes glowed red. "Hello young one. You seemed to have taken a wrong turn." Michelle smiled. The man grabbed the girl and tried to run to the exit. Shadows suddenly shot up like spikes, blocking the exit.

"Let us out of here… we have no money on us…" the man said. Michelle just laughed. "Money? You think I want your money? Wow! You have no idea why I am here! No… I am here… for here." Michelle pointed her claws at the girl. The man pulled out a gun. "Back off you damned mercenary!" Michelle just stared them down. "Tell the girl cover her eyes and ears… best not to let her see blood… right?" Michelle crossed her arms. The man turned to the girl and get her to do just that. "I really wish I didn't have to use my gun…" the man ran at Michelle he fired a couple shots before going in for a roundhouse kick towards her head.

Michelle had vanished. She pulled out her own pistol and aimed it at his head. "Be glad that she knows you died protecting her… but you both had a contract… Someone wants you dead…" Michelle pulled the trigger before he could react. His head exploded into pieces. She lowered her pistol and turned her attention to the girl. The girl was crying, trembling and fearing the outcome. Michelle licked her lips, she could feel the wyvern blood start to boil feeling the strong negativity from such a young girl. It took every ounce of strength to just pick up the girl and jump up to the roof top. "Let me go!" the girl yelled. Michelle jumped from the rooftop to rooftop. "I'm sorry…" she said. The girl was shocked hearing that. She was still scared, but the mercenary that held her was sympathetic.

Michelle brought the girl to a warehouse. Her shadows tied the girl up as she sat the girl down. A tall man wearing a blue suit walked out. "Good, you brought her… I'll transfer the money to the specific account as agreed." Michelle nodded. She turned her back to leave and had a gun pointed at her head. "Not yet. Your old man gave me a task." Michelle glared at him clenched her fists. She was now thinking the worst of how it was going to end. "Your code name is now Dark Wolf." Michelle turned back to him in confusion. "What did you say?" she asked. She wasn't sure she heard him right. The man laughed. "You seem shocked! I was tasked to giving you your codename when making request! Seeing how heartless you were doing your job, your name should reflect that! Though, the best I can think of is Dark Wolf. You can go now. You have to give your report after all!"

Michelle bowed to him. "Thank you for cooperation than." Michelle turned and left the warehouse, getting into a family bullhead. It lifted off and headed for the family home. She thought to herself during the journey.

At the family home, Michelle knelt to her father. "Father… I have completed my mission." she said with a slight smile. "Good. Now, what was your given code name?" he asked her. "My code name is Dark Wolf." Michelle replied to him. He nodded and turned to her. "You were a minute off then the plan though… Guess you need to be rewarded for this…" Her father glared at her. Michelle's eyes widened and she paled.

~1 week later~

Back at the cottage, Nate was busy wrapping his hands after punching some trees. Sighing as he finished, he looked over at Michelle. "How is it today? Need more painkillers?" he asked with some concern. Michelle shook her head. "No… I'm fine…" she held her arm tightly. "I haven't had an attack though… probably because it is agreeing that I need time to recover…" Nate stood up from the couch, hands held away from him as he pulled the wrappings tight. "Still doesn't mean that dad isn't an asshat," he growled. As he tied the wrap,the loose ends fell out as he continued speaking. "He should have a 'failed attempt' on his life so he can learn what it means to be us, or more specifically, anyone born with Crimson fangs. Don't you agree?"

Michelle smiled softly. "Yeah, I do agree. Then again… he is in the hospital right now…" Michelle looked at her arm. Nate just looked at his sister. "Yeah… care to explain how that happened? You never did tell me," he asked. Michelle smiled and giggled. "I let it loose… Mom had just got home when I had tore off his leg… she pulled me off him…" she gripped her arm tightly. Nathaniel groaned slightly. "You know you just gave him another reason to distrust you, right? He won't forget this. Sometimes I think he might be an elephant Faunus due to his memory." Michelle giggled. "You should have seen the look on his face. The emotions he had! It was a beautiful thing!" she curled up and trembled. Tears began going down her face. "I wish I had just killed him…" Nate made his way over to Michelle and wrapped as best as he could in a hug. "I know Michelle. But we both know that wouldn't have solved everything. If you had, someone more ambitious would've taken his place and put a bounty on your head. No one in the Claws takes kindly to traitors. If I could without being seen, I would've done it years ago. But I got some news from mom that might cheer you up!" he said.

Michelle looked up at Nate. "What is it?" Nate just smiled and told her, "I'll let mom tell you herself. She's dropping by tomorrow. She sent me the message this morning while I was out." Michelle pouted and grumbled. "I hate waiting… why can't you just tell me?" Nate chuckled at her face. "Because, orders are orders, and mom ordered me not to. Now, why don't you give your arm some rest?" he said as he released her, ruffling her hair as he did so. Michelle huffed and laid down. "Fine… but I honestly don't want to talk or think about what exactly happened when he gave me the 'reward' if you don't mind…" she pulled a blanket over herself and tried to relax.

Nate just sighed and replied, "I know, big sis. I know." He went back outside and stared up at the sky for a couple of minutes, watching the patterns of stars change. After a couple of minutes, he went back inside and sat cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes as sleep overtook him.

~the next morning~

Nate woke up to see Michelle was no longer on the couch and that the door was open. Standing up, he made his way outside and saw his mother and sister standing talking. He smiled and went back inside, keeping an ear on the conversation that was taking place outside. "So what's the good news you had?" Michelle asked Sia.

"Fifth time you have asked. I know you're excited but still, you're asking way too many times! But the news I have is that most of the members have no idea who attacked your father, but that's only part of it. Since you two have been here for six years, you're getting close to the end of this. Rules state that you two must have at least two weapons. I know I am not telling you the actual good news yet. But the head of the Crimson Fang is going to step down and guess who is taking over!" Sia smiled. Inside the cottage, Nate smiled, waiting for his sister's reaction to this news. Michelle smiled and hugged Sia. "Oh my god that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Michelle said excitedly. "Thank you! But when you're done the last four years here, I want you to be my second in command, your brother of course will be with the Crimson Fang as well!"

Michelle pulled away and tilted her head. "What about dad? Does he know about this?" Sia shook her head. Nate stepped back outside and spoke up. "No he doesn't. I'm running the disinformation part of this plan, as he thinks I never lie to him," he stated. Michelle smiled. "This is awesome! I can't wait!" Michelle was practically jumping up and down in excitement. Nate and Sia both chuckled at Michelle. "Trust me, it's not as was as I make it sound sis. I have to think of excuses for mom's absences on the fly," Nate said while slightly glaring at Sia. "She never gives me warning." Sia smiled and scratched the back of her head. "Well, neither does Michelle or you when you two decide to try something! I covered for you two when all of a sudden your scent came from the roof and your father took notice!" she replied back to them. "When does her ever go on the roof of his free will? He would only notice if he was dragged up there by _someone!_ " Nate shot back. "Now who else would've dragged him all the way to the roof, hmm?"

"In this case, he left the window open to be fair…" she glared at him. Michelle looked at them and sat down. She was finding this amusing. Nate pointed a finger at Michelle and said, with amusement evident in his voice, "Oh no. You don't get to enjoy this. If you hadn't been so stubborn the day before, I wouldn't have had to push myself to get you home!" Michelle just shrugged and smiled. "I know! I wanted my brother to help me get back since I was having such a hard time trying to home after spending so many days being punished." Michelle frowned and sighed. She got up and started walking towards the forest. "I think I should go for a walk…"

Sia sighed and shook her head. "That probably shouldn't have been brought up…" Nate's ears visible twitched. "I'll go get her. It _was_ my fault anyways for choosing that cave all those years ago," he said before following his sister's trail. Michelle sat on a rock and looked up at the clouds above her head. She held her arms close to her as she watched the clouds. Off in the tree line, Nate stopped at the edge and called out, "Michelle! I know you're there! Can you please come down so we can talk? I'm sorry for bringing that day up!" Michelle jumped down and walked over to Nate. "That depends, what do you want to talk about?"

Nate created a set of chairs and a table from the nearby shadows and took a seat. "Whatever's on your mind. All I want is to take some of the weight off your shoulders," he said. "And don't say there is no weight, as I have noticed you staring at nothing often." Michelle sighed and her ears lowered. "Ever since I absorbed the blood of that wyvern… I… I've been hearing things… a voice… female to be exact. It sounds… friendly… but whenever I start to communicate with it… the wyvern roars at me and tells me not to speak, only listen… like it… it respects the woman… to certain degree…" Michelle started pacing. Nate motioned for Michelle to take a seat, saying, "I hear it too. I have ever since I ingested the beowolf's blood. But I always just thought it my imagination or the work of my…' _friend'_... I never thought it was real… until now."

"Do you think… she is beckoning for us?" Michelle sat down in a chair and leaned forward. "As if she wants us to meet her?" Nate shrugged and leaned back, stretching as he did. "No idea…maybe it is just communication to all Grimm…I mean…we _are_ technically part Grimm, so it makes sense we can hear things we couldn't before…right?" Michelle nodded. "Yeah… That makes sense… I do hear the wyvern calling out, asking me to return to it… I don't understand why though…" Nate tapped his chin in thought. "Maybe…maybe it thinks you are one of its spawn and wants you to protect it…but that wouldn't make sense…" he mused until he was murmuring just below hearing level. Michelle's eyes changed briefly and she shook her head. "Back inside… inside the darkness…"

Nate sat up as his eyes lit up. "I just remembered…I experienced the same pain and agony afterwards that you did in the cave! I think it is a metamorphosis of sorts! That would explain everything!" Michelle tilted her head. "What do you mean?" Nate leaned forward and laced his hands together under his chin. "Think about it…First we ingested the blood of a Grimm…then we both had massive headaches the next day that probably made new pathways for us to be more like the Grimm…it all makes sense, doesn't it?" Michelle stood up and thought for a moment. "I guess…" she began walking away. "I still have a hard time believing it…" Nate followed, allowing the shadows to fall back into place. "So do I, but it is the only thing close to being logical that I could think of…" he replied. "If you can think of something else, I'm all ears."

Michelle thought for a bit. "I am going back to the wyvern…" her shadows began to come off of her. Nate stumbled a little, but resumed following his sister. "Let me guess…You're going to try to get some answers? I doubt it would work…but it's worth a try I guess…" Michelle smiled. "You never know!" she began to sprint towards the mountain. Nate smirked and sprinted after her. Once hitting his stride, he shadow stepped to her side, and started sprinting backwards. Raising an eyebrow at Michelle, he asked, "What? You never said this was a race!" Michelle smiled. "It's not! I just like running!" she sprinted faster to get to the mountain.

Nate just grinned wickedly as he shadow stepped into the cave ahead of her, tackling her when she entered. Michelle laughed and quickly got up, she suddenly stopped and turned her attention to the wyvern that looked at them both with glowing red eyes. Nate quickly stepped back as the Wyvern raised its head and released a low growl. "Can you understand it?" Nate asked quietly. Michelle's eyes glowed. "Yeah… I can understand it…" Michelle walked closer to it as it watched the two of them.

" _So, you decided to finally show up, child? And you brought an outsider?"_ the wyvern growled. Michelle grinned and giggled. "He followed me home?" Michelle acted a bit smug. _"That is not an excuse!"_ he yelled. _"He must be taken care of!"_ As the wyvern said this, he reached out with his barbed tail, only for it to pass through shadows. "He is not your concern! He is family… my family…" Michelle snapped at the wyvern. Her eyes glowed brighter. _"You do not tell me what is and is not my concern,"_ the wyvern replied, resting his tail against Michelle's injured shoulder. _"Now tell me, why did he have a speck of darkness in him? I know you could see it also."_ Michelle winced and gritted her teeth. "He has a bit of the blood of a beowolf running through him… if that is what you're referring to…" Michelle started to relax a bit.

" _Hmm...so he_ is _part of the family after all. That still doesn't excuse his presence here, or your evasiveness! But, I shall forgive you, child, on one condition,"_ the wyvern said, moving his tail back to his side. Michelle looked up to the wyvern. "What is the condition?" The wyvern glared at her. _"You must do as my mistress commands without question. You vaguely know of whom I speak,"_ he replied, his gaze never wavering. _"And in doing so, you must give up on the light, or forever be tormented."_ Michelle laughed a bit. "For me, darkness is more warmth than what the light can bring. Seeing as I also don't like being tormented, I'll agree to the condition. I'll agree to do what must be must then. I am supposed to be a mercenary, after all." Michelle bowed to the wyvern and smiled.

The wyvern dipped its head. _"Then go, my child, and wait for your orders. Do not speak of this to anyone."_ With that said, he lowered his head, and went back to his slumber. Michelle nodded and turned away from the wyvern, pulling Nate with her out of the cave. "All is good now." Nate just glared at his sister. "What the hell was it that you agreed to?!" he yelled, tearing his arm free. Michelle looked at him and shrugged. "I don't know exactly. The wyvern made it very vague for me to understand completely. Even if I did understand, wouldn't it be against the rules I was given to talk about it with anyone?" Michelle was hinting that he drop it and not think about too much. Tossing his hands up, Nate replied, "Fine! But don't expect me to not tell mom about heading back to the cave. I won't tell her about you talking to the wyvern though, so don't worry."

Michelle smiled. "Thank you!" she headed for the cottage and stopped for a moment. Nate sniffed the air and looked at her. "You smell that?" Michelle nodded. "Yeah, smells like fire to me… you?" Nate nodded and grabbed Michelle's arm. "You ready?" he asked, stretching a shadow before them. "Ready as I'll ever be!" Michelle smiled. Nate grinned as he pulled Michelle into the shadow, stepping out in front of the burning cottage. "Shit! Mom, where are you?!" Nate called out. Sia didn't call out, someone came out of the blazing inferno. "Well… looks like I still have one more to kill… My orders are to kill the one to take over Crimson Fang… I seemed to have missed one…" They wore the symbols for Shadow Claw.

Nate let go of Michelle as he grabbed Requiem and Grimm's Thorn out of his shadow, holding the sniper in his left hand and the chakram in his right. "You're not going to lay a hand on my sister. And after I'm through with you, I'll kill the son of a bitch who calls himself my father. Michelle, hold these for me, please," he snarled, holding the weapons towards his sister as his aura flared bright blue with distinct streaks of black. Michelle nodded and took the weapons, she started to back away from them. The man smiled.

"I love a good chase. Let's see how long you can last kid!" the man pulled out a sword that turned into a shotgun. Nate just stood in his spot, head down and arms swinging lazily, as his shoulders shook with laughter. When he looked up, his eyes changed, and as he spoke, he grew claws and fangs. " **You really picked the wrong kids to mess with. Now, I'll give you one chance to back away, and say the mission is done.** " the man aimed his shotgun and got ready to pull the trigger. "Sorry kid, I am supposed bring back their fangs!" he pulled the trigger and fired a spray of bullets. " **You really need to work on your perception,** " Nathaniel said from behind the man as the clone dissipated from the bullets. " **Then again, I doubt you'll have the time.** "

Nathaniel then proceeded to grab the shotgun and pulled it up into the man's chin. The man glared at Nate. "Even if you kill me, more will come! No matter where you go!" Nate just ripped the shotgun out of the man's hands and dropped it into his shadow. " **Now, who said anything about** _ **me**_ **killing you? No no no, that would help me at all. You see, you are to carry a message to father, and he will be the one to kill you. And trust me, dying by his hands is actually a blessing considering what I would do if you don't agree to be the messenger. What do you say?** " Nate asked before laughing. " **You only have thirty seconds to answer, so make your decision quickly!** " he sang. The man gritted his teeth and weighed his options. "Fine, have it your way… what is the message?"

Nate sighed and picked the man up by his throat. " **Tell our father, your boss, that if another person comes for her head, I will personally visit and tear him limb from limb. Got it?!** " Nate stated, jerking a hand towards Michelle. The man nodded and choked a bit. Michelle watched them and looked down. Nathaniel stared at the man before dropping him. " **Good. Now leave before I change my mind and carve the message into your flesh,** " he said, walking back to the forest while trying to calm down. The man ran away into a bullhead, flying off to their father. Michelle dropped his weapons carefully and ran towards the cottage. She was hoping Sia was still alive.

Nate just watched as his eyes faded back to normal and he put his weapons away. Once they were safely stored, he walked up to Michelle and hugged her. "I don't think she was inside when it started. If she was, she probably managed to escape, so there's still hope that she's alive," Nate said in a whisper. Michelle relaxed and leaned back into him. "I don't want to lose her… she was the one person in our lives that cared about us…" her ears lowered and she saw Sia's helmet. "She left her helmet behind…" Nate just held her tightly as they watched the fire burn down. When it was nothing but embers, he finally spoke up. "We need to move. Knowing our luck, someone probably saw the smoke and is heading this way. Do you feel up to it?" Michelle nodded and stared at the helmet. "I want helmet with me…" Michelle spoke up.

Nate sent some shadows into the embers to retrieve the helmet, handing it to Michelle. "Let's get going. There are a few abandoned buildings further south, and more caves to the west. Which way do you want to go?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. Michelle put on the helmet and looked at Nate. "Let's go west… Been a while since we lived in a cave." Michelle stated. Nate looked at her, smiled, and said, "Alright, boss. Hold on tightly," before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and stepping into a shadow. Michelle held onto Nate tightly. "Let's go!"

~two years later~

Nate sat against the cold wall of the cave, waiting for Michelle to return from who knows what. In the last two years, there had been no word from Sia or the Crimson Fang. As he began to calculate all the possibilities, the sound of footsteps brought him back to the real world. Michelle walked up to him and looked at him. She had grown to wear Sia's helmet more often than not since their cottage burned down. "Hey Nate, I'm back."

Nate just looked up at her. "I can see that. Any word today? Or did you not check?" he asked as he stood up. Slung across his back was Grimm's Thorn, with Requiem hanging from his hip. "I did check… Shadow Claw is scrambling to get their shit together ever since our father got of the hospital and not only that, Crimson Fang has been in hiding so far… apparently, something happened that has caused them to go quite… I'm not sure what exactly happened… My informant didn't really have that much info about it… I also got us a present!" Michelle seemed happy.

Nathaniel just waved his hand towards the table and chairs he made the year before, more elegant than the ones that burned at the cottage. Taking a seat, he set Thorn against the wall next to him and said, "Really, now? What'd you get?" Michelle sat at the table and place two scrolls in the middle of it. "I got us a scroll! We can keep in touch with each other now!" Nate picked one up and spun it in his hand with a smile on his face. "Nice! Oh, and I got you something also," he said before placing an elaborate box on the table. Michelle tilted her head. "A box?" she picked up the box and examined it carefully. "No, silly," he said, tapping her forehead. "Inside the box. Here, let me help you with that." Taking the box back, he slid some panels seemingly at random before the box opened. He tilted the opening towards his sister, showing the hundreds of bullets, custom made for her. Michelle smiled widely at the bullets. "Did you seriously make these for me?"

Nate just set the box down, smirking as he held his hands up in the air. "Okay fine, don't thank me. Not like I worked on them all month just for today." Michelle giggled. "Thank you very much Nate. I am very thankful." Michelle took off Sia's helmet and smiled at him. Nate smiled and held his arms out. "How about a hug for your favorite brother?" he asked. Michelle rolled her eyes and gave him a hug. "You're my only brother!" Nate just chuckled and laid his head on her shoulder. "Exactly. And tomorrow, I need to head out for a bit. I scented some Claws to the west. Need to make sure they haven't found us," he whispered before ending the hug. "Besides, I also need to talk to some people other than you so I don't go any crazier than I am."

Michelle giggled. "Alright, don't forget your scroll and your sniper. Maybe you can head to the city and find out some info from people. Stay safe, alright?" Michelle gave him a caring smile, she was worried. "Since when do I not stay safe?" Nate asked, with a hand over his heart and mock hurt on his face. Michelle laughed. "I'm your big sister, I know you too well to try that!" Michelle tossed him his scroll. Nate lost his composure and fell to the floor laughing. When he could breath enough to talk, he replied, "At least I don't go looking for fights like you. I was heading to town anyways to meet someone that has something I need." Picking up Grimm's Thorn, Nate started walking backwards out of the cave as the sky lightened. "See you when I get back, sis!" he shouted. Michelle waved him off and watched him leave before putting Sia's helmet back on.

~later that day~

Nate had stopped outside the walls of the nearest town, waiting for his contact to meet him. Thirty minutes later, a familiar scent finally appeared. "You're late," Nate growled. A tall man walked up to him and crossed his arms. "Sorry, my boss wouldn't let me go early after getting him ready for a few jobs." Nate looked up at the Faunus, only able to see a white mask where the face should be. "How has Adam not gotten onto you for wearing your glasses over your mask, Perry? That is just ridiculous," he asked, pointing to the spectacles over the eye slots. "But that's not why I'm here today. Do you have the package or not?" Perry nodded. "Yeah I have it…" he handed Nate the package. "To answer your question though, I told him that I can't see without my glass and he just shrugged me off."

Nate just sighed as he stored the package in his shadow. "Well, let's just hope he doesn't notice a few things missing. If he does, blame the fresh meat, alright. I don't want to have to find a new contact," Nate said with little concern as he started walking away. Perry smiled. "No worries, Adam doesn't check the supplies too often so we usually end up making everything back without him noticing!" Perry started walking away. Nate waved a hand over his shoulder as a shadow enveloped him, taking him to the forest without a trace left behind.

As he stepped out of the shadow, Nate noticed the forest was unusually quiet. Taking out Leaf and Vine, he followed his instincts until he reached the edge of a currently empty campsite. Not taking any chances, he quickly shadow stepped a few yards from the cave entrance. As he rushed in, he grabbed the chairs and the table, storing them in a shadow. Quickly getting out his scroll, he messaged Michelle, ' _Where are you at?_ ', before cloaking himself in the shadows. Michelle sent him a response. ' _I went into the forest for a walk, is something wrong?_ '

' _Just got back from town. Saw a camp a few miles from the cave. Think it might be the Claws,_ ' he replied. ' _Stay where you are, I'll come get you._ ' Michelle messaged back, ' _Not yet, I am in the middle of something…_ ' Nate swore under his breath. ' _You're following them, aren't you?_ ' Michelle messaged back, ' _I am not following anyone, I am just relaxing under a tree now._ ' Nate sighed as he shot back, ' _Okay. If you hear anything that isn't me, promise to hide till I get to you?_ ' Michelle sent a message back, ' _Alright, I promise to hide if I hear anything._ ' Putting the scroll back in his pocket, he let the shadows drop before going out to find the owners of the camp.

A group of people seemed to be hanging by their waist from trees, there were screams and snarling coming from the northeast direction. Following the sounds, Nathaniel came upon another campsite, only bloodier than the previous one. A beringal was inching closer to a guy with a red serrated sword, he was swinging the sword wildly. "Get away from me you stupid gorilla!" he yelled. Nate quickly formed the sniper and aimed at the beringal's back, letting his training kick in as he pulled the trigger four times in quick succession. As the Grimm turned to face him, Nate swapped weapons and ran at it with Requiem in tonfa form. Channeling aura into the silver blade, he sliced at its arm, freezing it solid with the help of the ice crystal. As he passed, he sliced at the same arm with the gold blade, shattering it as the Grimm roared. As quickly as it started, Nate ended it by stabbing the tail spike of each tonfa into the side of the Grimm's neck, severing its spine and the carotid.

Turning around, he pointed the silver blade at the man and asked, "Who sent you? Tell me!" the man trembled in fear. "I-I don't know! Someone hired us to camp out here and search for someone! That's all I know! Please let me live!" the man pleaded. Nate stared at the man as he thought this over. "I will, if you tell me who you were looking for… and you better not lie, otherwise…" Nate said, letting the man figure out the rest. "All we were told is that it was a woman! Black hair! Amber eyes! That's all!" the man had fear clear on his face. "I believe you," Nate said as he kneed the man in the gut and kicked his face, knocking him out cold. As he walked back into the forest, he felt the sensation of being watched, but there was no scent or sound indicating where the watcher was. He ignored the feeling as he went to find his sister.

Michelle sat under a tree and a beowolf was lying next to her, it was fast asleep along with her. Her hand on its head while it rest its head on her lap. She began to open her eyes a bit and looked around at the familiar scent coming towards her. "Nate is coming this way…" Michelle yawned. "There you are!" Nate said as he came into sight. "I see you made a friend." Michelle stretched. "Yeah, playful thing. But I guess it's time to head home now, right?" Nate nodded while keeping an eye on the Grimm. "I think we might have a lead, but I'm not sure. Let's go. You can bring him if he behaves himself." Michelle stood up and the beowolf just lied there. "Alright, lead the way, I got lost anyways ways." Michelle started walking ahead a bit. "What's the lead you got anyways?"

Nate spun Michelle around. "Firstly, you're heading the wrong way. Secondly, I saved a man from a beringal, who said he and his group were looking for a woman with black hair and amber eyes. Does that ring a bell to you?" he asked as he started walking towards the cave. Michelle thought for a bit and started walking in the new direction she was now facing. "Hmmm… it sounds familiar… I'll have to ask around to be sure. If I do know her, I wouldn't mind talking to her if she has a bounty on her…" Michelle grinned. "Or… she could be a part of the Crimson Fang, which is why I said it is possibly a lead. If she is, she could tell us if mom survived," Nate pointed out.

Michelle rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "I doubt it… there may be a feud between the two, but they wouldn't actively try to hunt down single members using an entire group… just doesn't seem logical… they would send the strongest…" Michelle stated. Nate stopped walking as he turned to Michelle. "They weren't members of the Claws. The man I saved was blindly waving his sword like he just received it. Does that sound like a Claw to you?" Michelle smiled. "Not unless they were trainees. They wouldn't send trainees out to hunt someone… either the person is seriously underestimating their opponent, or someone is trying to draw them out… But then again, why would a beringal suddenly attack a large group by itself like that… sometimes beowolves tag along with them…" Nate shrugged as he resumed walking. "I don't know. I could ask my friend in the nearby town if he's seen anyone like he description I was given, but there are no guarantees," he said. Turning his head slightly, he glimpsed motion out of the corner of his eye. "Your friend decided to tag along after all. That's cute!" Michelle giggled. "Shut up! I have always wanted a dog!" she went ahead of Nate and yawned. "I am getting tired though, we need to rest before we try getting more information on the one we're going to look for!"

Nate nodded, holding back a yawn of his own as the cave came into sight. "Agreed. He can keep watch to make sure we aren't ambushed. Let's hope he will also defend against his kin." Michelle shrugged. "No idea. I just know that he is playful!" Michelle grinned under Sia's helmet and walked into their cave, lying down on a makeshift bed. Nate sat down against the wall facing the entrance. "You _do_ know that we might have to move again, and soon, right? I mean, just a couple miles away is another camp that had the same setup as the one with the beringal," Nate said, stifling another yawn. Michelle groaned. "I know… But there is no fun in moving when we're a lot stronger than the enemy…" Nate shook his head at this. "Sure we may be stronger, but they outnumber us, around a hundred to one. And that's after taking our strength into account. Would you rather die from exhaustion or live to fight another day?"

Michelle looked up at him. "That may be true, but we can still hold our own… it also depends on who we're fighting, how skilled they are, and if are dumb enough to come after us!" Michelle smiled. Nate just nodded as he listened, and, after thinking for a moment, replied, "Well, you do know that if they are working for dad, he will be contacted once we are found, right?" Michelle thought for a bit. "If they had already found us, they would have already messaged him… and considering the chatter in the Claws, they have been arguing over where to start looking in the first place… but that information is a couple days old… I have no idea what has happened now…" Michelle sat up. Nate shrugged. "Well...If those camps were for mercenaries dad hired to help the Claws, then we better move on anyways. I...sorta knocked out the guy I saved…" he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "They probably had descriptions of both of us."

Michelle sighed and stood up. "I'll deal with it… I also have a plan for what we're going to do in two years… though, I have to make contact with someone first… until then, we'll live in the forest… Alright?" Nate nodded as he closed his eyes. "Sounds good to me… and the only reason I spared the guy is because I promised to if he told me the truth…" he said before falling into a deep sleep.

~Six Months Later~

Michelle rushes to a nearby cave, the beowolf, which she had named Ace, followed close behind her. "Nate! Where are you?" she yelled out for Nate as she got close to it. As she grew closer, a pillar of shadows detached itself from a nearby tree, dissipating to reveal the person she was looking for. "No need to yell, I'm right here. What's the rush, sis?" he asked, worry evident on his face. Michelle slowed down in front of Nate and removed her helmet, a large grin on her face. "I got word about the Crimson Fang! Well, more specifically, they actually contacted me!" Nate's face lit up instantly as he hugged his sister. "That's great news! So? What did they say?"

"Well, mom is alive and almost in one piece. The head of Crimson Fang is going to remain in power until she… recovers… But she is able to talk and everything about what happened." Michelle was smiling and jumping a bit. Nate grinned ear to ear as he heard this. "See? What did I tell you that day? I told you she escaped! Did she say anything about what happened, though?" he asked, letting Michelle go. "Yes! The guy we fought did attack her… but the damaged state she was found in was only because of a miss fire with her weapons. Apparently, the guy had gotten a knife into the chamber the moment she pulled the trigger…" Michelle explained. Her brother swore under his breath, "I should've killed that bastard when I had the chance." Michelle placed a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, everything is okay. She is fine. She has a new forearm that looks badass though!" Michelle smiled.

"Alright, I'll relax… but next time, don't make it sound like something bad happened. For a minute there, I thought you had some Claws behind you," Nate replied with a chuckle and a glare. Michelle giggled. "You think I would let them follow me here?" Nate just kept glaring at her for a minute before replying, "You're my big sis...knowing you, you would've just harmed them enough to enrage them and force them to follow you…so... yes, I do think that." Michelle pouted and sighed. "I wouldn't… I only did that once to be fair…" she walked towards the cave. Nate just shook his head, shoulders shaking from contained laughter, before he started walking towards the nearest town, shouting over his shoulder as he waved a hand in the air, "I need to pick some things up in town, I'll be back in a bit! And don't worry, I'll stay safe!" Michelle turned to look at him and yelled, "You better be!"

~Later that day~

Nate had just finished his business in town and was heading back to the cave when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. Turning his head, Nate did a double take before replying, "Perry! What the hell are you doing here?" as the faunus in question jogged towards him. "I have a message for you… from Adam… says that if you needed supplies, you could've just asked… but also… something is going on in the White Fang… a member that is close to him might leave which means it's going to be a lot harder to get you any more supplies… I also found this in the store room." Perry handed him a piece of paper that had the Claw symbol on it. Nate took the paper and crumpled it. "So he knows…" he muttered before looking back at Perry. "Thanks for showing me this. And tell Adam I'll take that into consideration," Nate said before stepping back into a shadow. As the shadow shrunk, Nate poked his head and an arm, throwing a small bundle at Perry's feet. "There's a little something for helping us out all these years. Hope you find use for it!" Once the shadow was back in its place, Perry picked up the bundle and opened it. Smiling, he took out two sets of earplugs, examining them before placing them away as he went back to base.

Michelle was on her scroll messaging someone. She was sitting on a branch in a tree as she waited for Nate to return. "I'm back!" came her brother's voice from below. "Come down here, I got you something!" Michelle put her scroll away and jumped down, landing in front of Nate. "What did you get?" Nate smiled as he pulled a bag from his shadow, opening it and revealing two almost identical necklaces. One had a gold chain, the other had a silver chain. Both had a stylized wolf head in the other's chain color. Taking out the gold chained necklace, he handed it over to Michelle. "I figured we should have something that can be used to find each other, in a sense," he said, taking out the silver chained necklace and putting the box away. "I placed some gps markers that are linked to our scrolls inside, but you have to flip a switch on the back." Michelle smiled and put the necklace on. "I love it! It would be a good way to find each other, as you said. But love the design!"

Nate just looked over her shoulder, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah...it took forever for me to get all the supplies I needed...and I got me a little something too," he said, pulling out a pair of red wireless headphones with a design on each earpiece and two slots on the band between them. Michelle tilted her head. "Cool? What are the slots for though?" Nate held a hand up as he carefully put them on, sliding his ears into the slots. "It's so I don't have to keep my ears flattened all the time in cities that are not Faunus friendly. All I have to do is tell anyone that asks is that the ears are fake and respond to my emotions due to sensors throughout. Clever, right?" he asked. Michelle giggled. "Nice! All I have to do is wear mom's helmet!" she tapped the helmet that she was currently wearing. Nate rolled his eyes as he carefully took the headphones off. "I know. I know. But I took the liberty of adding my own these, you didn't alter mom's helmet at all," he said, pointing to the symbols on the sides. The symbol was a yin-yang with a red and black color scheme surrounded by silver and gold sunbursts.

Michelle looked down. "It's mom's helmet… I wouldn't change it if it wasn't mine…" Nate sighed as he tilted his sister's head back up to meet his eyes. "You do know that she planned on giving it to you eventually...right? I thought you knew that…" he said. Michelle blinked and suddenly disappeared into a shadow. Ace the Beowolf looked at Nate in confusion. Nate looked back and shrugged. "I have as much insight as you do, Ace," he told the Beowolf before pulling the crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and staring at it. Ace saw the paper and tilted its head. Michelle came back but without the helmet. "Back!" Nate jumped at her reappearance, dropping the paper before trying to cover it with his foot. "Where'd you go?" he asked, trying to keep the shock out of his voice. Michelle grinned and giggled. "Nowhere in particular!" Ace just stared between the two of them. Sighing, Nate bent down and picked up the paper, handing it to Michelle. "My contact found this in their supply room. Think _he_ knows?"

Michelle thought for a bit. She mumbled, "Not as much as he knows now…" Nate's ears twitches at that. "What was that? And don't you dare say nothing," Nate threatened, concern in his voice. "Did you do something regarding dad while you were gone just now?" Michelle kept her mouth shut and started walking away, her ears lowered a bit. Nate lightly grabbed her shoulder as he growled, "What did you do?" Michelle groaned. "I… broke into his house and stole maybe a hundred… thousand… Lien from him… he may have saw me… and Nearly caught me before I slipped into a shadow to get away…" Nate let Michelle go as he processed the information. After a few seconds, he finally asked, with a calm voice, "Is that where mom's helmet is?" Michelle shook her head. "No, that is getting fitted and getting a few upgrades to it." Sighing in relief, Nate motioned Michelle towards the cave. "Did you get anything else from him? Or were you too focused on the Lien?" Nate asked playfully. Michelle glared at Nate. "I did search the house to find something that would give us an edge… instead, I found out that he is planning on coming after me… he is bringing all the Claws with him…"

Her brother ran a hand through his hair, muttering incoherently under his breath. "This isn't good. There might be a way to stop this madness, but you would have to agree, and I would need to get back on dad's good side again. It _is_ risky. One, if not both, of us could die," he finally said. Michelle looked at him. "What do I have to do?" Nate looked at the ground, gathering his thoughts, before sighing. "First, I need you to give me one of your fangs, as that is what he is asking for as proof. I know it will hurt like hell, but if it gets him off your back, it will be worth it. Second, if you agree and after you give me a fang, I want you to join up with mom and keep low. We don't want dad finding out. Once I get his trust back, we can keep in touch, if I'm not closely watched. I can also resume running my disinformation scheme. What do you say, big sis?" Michelle sighed and shook her head. "I am not losing my fang… I won't get it back ever again…" Michelle turned away and walked into the cave. Nate followed her, shrugging as his idea was shot down. "Then the only other option is to keep running. Unless you have some plans in that head of yours."

Michelle looks at Nate and smiles. "Other then giving my life to someone else in order to get an army, other than that. I fight them off on my own…" Her brother held up a hand. "That would be suicide and you know it! There has to be a less extreme option!" he yelled. "What else can I do? Maybe give up my body and beg for forgiveness when I know that is futile, or…" Michelle sighed and shook her head. "I pay a visit to the dragon and… ask for some advice…" she leaned against the wall of the cave. Nate just watched her with concern before grinning and saying, "I would prefer the less…grim...option, if you know what I mean." Seeing his sister's blank look at his poorly made pun, he clarified while holding his hands up, "I'm talking about going with the dragon! Geez." Michelle sighed. "Sorry, it was bad and I'm also kind of paranoid at this point… I prefer… not crawling on my hands and knees to beg for forgiveness… Now, I am going to see the dragon alone if you don't mind…" Michelle faded into the shadows of the cave to head to the dragon. Nate sighed, looking at Ace as the Beowolf sat at the cave mouth. "This is starting to suck, don't you think?" he asked the Grimm, not expecting a response. Ace just shrugged and lied down.

Michelle appeared in the dragon's cave, kneeling before it and her eyes glowed in the dark. She began to relax as darkness was surrounding her. " _Why do you wake me, child? Speak now,_ " the ancient Grimm growled. "I… I need help… My father wants me dead… he has an army and I don't think I can handle the amount he intends to bring…" Michelle explained, her ears lowered a bit. " _There is not much I can do, child. What I can do is something I have no control over,_ " it said while staring into the darkness. Michelle gritted her teeth. "Then I have nothing I can do… I either fight and die… Or beg for forgiveness… My father is not someone I would take pleasure and begging for my life to…" The dragon huffed in thought. " _There is one thing you gained from me… but the price afterwards is greater than you can mentally stand… Do you wish to know?_ " Michelle looked up to the dragon. "I'm already mentally unstable because of my father… I would like to know, but I would also like to know what I stand to lose…" The dragon lowered its head to look Michelle in the eyes. " _Very well. You, too, can create Grimm, but only from your power from the light. Once created, they will only do as you command for as long as you stand. You will gradually become more like us the more you use this, though. So use it wisely...or don't…_ " it growled. " _Now leave._ " With this, the Grimm laid its head down and went back to its slumber. Michelle disappeared into the darkness and appeared in the cave. She contemplated what the dragon had told her. "So…? How'd it… go?" Nate asked groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

Michelle looked at Nate. "That depends… what would you do if I end up becoming more like the Grimm?" Nate sat up slowly, his back popping from lying on the ground. " _That_ depends on if you are still the same person I grew up with it not. If you are, then I'm fine with it," he said, still trying to fully wake up. "Then it may or may not have went well… Though, I have figured out how to improve my swords." Michelle smiled. This woke her brother up instantly. "Really? How-...No, _when_ did you do that?" he asked. Michelle had one of the swords shoot out and extend fully. "It came to me a few months back. I figured that since I like mixing my weapons, I figured, why not have my scythes attack along with my swords." Michelle smiled. Nate just stared at his sister. "That… is… amazing! If only I could have mine work like that," he said with a wide grin. Michelle got Xephor to its full form and placed it on the tip of the sword. The double-bladed scythe balanced perfectly on the tip of the sword. "Well, I used a simple magnet… then made sure that the magnet would only affect other weapons!"

Michelle thought for a bit. "I have an idea… When father brings his forces here, I have to be alone… but I need you to stay a good distance away from them as my support… use your sniper. The next, my helmet will be ready with the finishing touches. I'll get Ace to try to lead some Grimm over here to get them ready for a surprise attack. I'll be sitting outside the cave, waiting for father and his army…" Michelle explained her plan.

While his sister was explaining her plan, Nate had leaned forward, lacing his hands under his chin. When she finished, he stayed like that for a minute before leaning back against the cave wall. "It could work… but I need to find a perch and get used to the terrain I am to shoot from… that will take some time…" Nate mused out loud. "When did you say dad was to arrive?" Michelle thought back to the pans she saw in their father's home. "Based on the information I've gathered and what the plans stated… We've got a week to prepare… I also know about a few trees that are just the right height to see the clearing in front of the cave with ease as well." Nate nodded as his eyes started to close. "Alright…I'll start checking them in the morning…right now, we both need sleep…" he said as sleep took him.

~The following day~

Nate stopped at the base of an elder tree and looked up through the branches. "I believe this will do nicely. Be right back," he said as he started climbing it quickly and gracefully. Michelle watched as he climbed the tall tree. Ace was lying at the base if at. As Nate reached the middle of the tree, he moved some branches and received a clear view of the cave entrance and the surrounding forest. "Hey," he called down to his sister, "I have a clear view. I'm coming back down now." After he said this, he shadow stepped to the base of the tree, marking the ground with his symbol to find it easily. "Which number was this tree? I kinda forgot." Michelle thought for a bit. "I believe this makes 12 so far." Michelle had pulled out a notepad that she had been using to keep track of how many trees that have been marked.

~The day the Claws attack~

Michelle put on her helmet and put on her armour. Her new gauntlets went over her wrist guards, but it didn't obstruct the blades that would should out. Her greaves had claws at the toes. She placed her pistols behind her back into their holsters. She relaxed and took a deep breath. "Well… Nate should be in position by now… I need to get ready…" Michelle said to herself. She wouldn't admit it, but she was scared to face her father in a fight like this. She knew Ace and Nate were there for her, but she was still scared. She walked out of the cave, her armour shined in the sun. Michelle could sense them coming.

Michelle sat on the ground and took deep breaths. She could hear them growing closer and closer. She looked around and saw all the mercenaries of the claws starting to surround her. She then saw her father entering the circle. She glared at him. "It's good to see you again, Father." She bowed to him. He scoffed off her greeting and glared at her. "So you really are alive… I thought that you would have been killed by your own brother by now… looks like he needs to be taught a lesson…" he stated to her. Michelle glared a bit. "He wouldn't betray me… unlike you…" Michelle snapped at him.

"Typical of the daughter of the second in command of Crimson Fang… always doing what you want despite what your ordered to do…" he said with venom in his tone. Michelle seemed to lower her guard. "So you were trying to train us to not get into that habit? Not let us live our lives?!" she practically yelled. He smiled a bit. "Well, compared to how well your brother gets things done, I'd say it mostly worked! For you, on the other hand… you were a pain in the ass…" he snapped at her. Michelle gritted her teeth, she didn't want her anger to get control. If her anger went overboard, she might not win this fight. Her father hid behind the others and ordered the attack. Michelle pulled out her pistols and began to fire at the attackers.

One by one, the mercenaries were killed, until she ran out of ammo. "Shit!" Michelle yelled. She gave Nate the signal to open fire. She got her scythes out and sliced off limbs and keeping them at a distance. She seemed to be having a hard time, she also didn't seem to be using her semblance. One of them swung down a cleaver at her, Michelle used her scythes to block it. Striking metal echoed through the forest as Michelle fought them off. She was building up her shadows as she fought. She brought out her double bladed scythe and began hacking more limbs off and pushing them back to give herself some breathing room. One tried to swing their sword towards her head, she brought her scythe up and parried it, slicing their back open as she moved behind them.

A shot rang through the forest as Nate took his first shot, the bullet clipping their father's ear when he moved to join the fray. Nate had kept an eye on their dad, making sure he didn't try anything underhanded. As soon as he shot, he Shadow stepped to another tree with a clear view of the clearing, this time keeping Michelle in sight. He shot a mercenary in the knee when they tried to slice Michelle's back. Michelle took that chance to slice the mercs arm off and swing her scythe down into another's chest. "So he is helping you after all…" their father said while holding his ear. The Claws were going down to thirty people at this point. Michelle smiled under her helmet and had a large shadow appear under their feet, connecting them to hers. Before the mercs could notice, twenty spikes made of shadows shot out and impaled most of them in the chest. Michelle panted and the shadows receded. Ten mercs now stood standing. Their father watching intently at her. She could tell something was up. "What are you doing just standing there?" Michelle asked him. The ten mercs surrounded her. "I am not planning anything. Well, not that you need to worry about anyways…" he simply replied.

A Griffon squawked off towards the north at the same time as one of the mercs dropped, one of his eyes now an empty hole. Michelle took notice to the Griffon flying north and the merc dropping dead. She spun her scythe and threw it into the air, shooting her whip blade at it to pull it back down and slicing three of the mercs in half. Their father reached behind his back, though when he removed his hand from his back, there was nothing in his hand. Michelle moved to the right and swung the spinning scythe blade towards another, only to have her helmet suddenly knocked off and get punched in the face. She pulled the scythe back towards her, catching the shaft of the scythe and retracting the whip blade back into the wrist guard that was hidden. Looking up, she saw their father, his clawed hands at the ready. "Time for our fight…" he stated, his claws shooting out of their covers of his gloved weapon. Michelle disconnected her hand scythes and held them in her hands. She was getting ready to strike. He was suddenly in front of her, taking her off guard, swinging his left claws at her. She ducked and swung her right scythe towards him. He easily countered the swing and got behind her, he got her off balance.

Their father sliced her back, leaving a deep gash as she fell to the ground. Michelle dropped her weapons and screamed in pain. "You left yourself wide open…. Guess you still have yet to learn your lesson…" he was about to strike once more until Michelle whipped around and had her whip blades shoot out and pierce into his chest, ripping through his lungs. She smiled and panted. "Guess you don't know about baiting then!" their father gritted his teeth and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at her chest, and dropped it once she pulled the blades out of him. He collapsed on top of her, his claws piercing into her chest and arm. Michelle kicked him off, causing the claws to tear into her flesh. She slowly sat up and panted heavily. She looked at the last six that were left standing. She stood up and her blood dripped down her right arm, her back, and chest. She shifted her scythes into a pistol form and had the barrel of the left one open, inserting the grip of the right one into it before closing it. "I didn't think I would have a reason to do this… but it seems I don't have a choice with the last of you…" the pistols extended into a large shaft, having a large scythe blade extending at the end of it. She was getting ready to strike.

Michelle's body burned in pain as she stood there. She dropped her scythe and fell to her knees. "Shit… not now…" she said aloud. Nate saw this through his scope and Shadow stepped to the clearing, transforming the rifle into Leaf and Vine, facing the six mercs. "This is your one warning to run," he told them, watching as each took a step forward, not accepting his offer. Sighing, Nate closed his eyes, setting down his weapons. As he spoke once again, he opened his eyes, now showing he is no longer in full control. " **So be it.** " With that, he stepped behind them and punched through the nearest merc, ripping through his spine, lungs, and heart. In the same motion, he hurled the victim at the merc closest to Michelle, hitting him in the legs and knocking him down. Before the others could react, he stepped to the fallen merc and bit his throat out, letting him die in agony. The remaining four quickly turned and ran, scared for their lives at the hand of what was Nathaniel. As they disappeared, Nate took chase and within two hours, screams were ringing through the forest as each merc met their end.

* * *

 **Dark Dragon Queen of Darkness: Hello! Things have really escalated, hasn't it? Well, things are only about to get more interesting! Anyways, Michelle killed their father and now she is in a lot of pain due to her adrenaline leaving her system. Till the next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Shifting Tides

**Nathaniel Zellos: Well, here's the third chapter. Took longer than expected to finish, but it was worth it. Anyways, enjoy~!**

* * *

 **Shifting Tides**

 **Third-person pov**

* * *

~two years later~

As the end of their tenth year grew closer, Nathaniel grew restless with each passing day. Michelle looked up at the sky and sighed. "You need to relax… Everything will turn out alright." She said without turning her head towards him. Nathaniel stopped his pacing and turned to face Michelle. "Well, I don't know about you, but I know I don't want to be a mercenary all of my life. I want to do other things," he said. Michelle was shocked at this. "Really? What made you change your mind?" She was curious about his answer. Nathaniel sighed as he sat down in yet another chair he made in the last year.

"Well, I've been thinking about it ever since Shadow Claw 'disbanded'. I mean, dad was a mercenary all his life, and look how he turned out. I'm just saying, I could turn out worse with this whole part Grimm thing," Nathaniel replied. Michelle turned to him, the scar on her arm visible. "So was mom… She turned out the better of the two… You need to keep in mind that dad was raised the same way… Mom was raised with someone that would castrate anyone that look at her in a perverse way." She giggled at the last part.

Nathaniel snapped his head up and looked at Michelle. "She never told me that… And for some odd reason, I can see you doing the same thing." Michelle rolled her eyes. "She said she imagines grandpa doing that. She isn't sure if he has literal done it. It wouldn't surprise her though. For the record, it was one time that I did it!" she looked away from him, pouting a bit. Nathaniel shook his head with an ear to ear grin, saying, "Why am I not surprised that you've castrated someone? I just hope it was for a reason other than they looked at you the wrong way." Michelle grinned. "They were picking on a child for being a Faunus. So I made him a little less cocky, big deal. He was an asshole… What are you thinking about doing instead of being a full time mercenary anyways?" She wanted to change the subject back to before.

Nathaniel stood up slowly and resumed his pacing. "Well, I was thinking of becoming a Huntsman...don't laugh! We both know I've never been seen on the job, so my future is still intact. Of course, I'll still be doing some mercenary work on the side." Michelle sighed a bit. "Well, that means you can't be in a mercenary group… Rules are there for a reason… You can join after retiring as one. The question is, how are you going to pull it off?" she tilted her head in curiosity. Nathaniel smirked. "Well, all the groups, save the Fangs, know me by a different name. _The Shadow Hound_. I made sure to never reveal my name to anyone I didn't trust, which is pretty much everyone. So as long as no one from the Fang tells any of the other groups, I'll be fine," he explained. "Of course, as a Fang myself, I wouldn't reveal it to anyone. Then again, the ones that join are always going through the Pit to prove they are trustworthy!" Michelle grins mentioning one of the most brutal fighting arena's in Vale. "Well… There are the few who have to face more than the Pit. Those are the ones that were 'chased' from their last group. Remember that one snake Faunus from the Red Scales?" Nathaniel reminded his sister.

Michelle sat back in the chair. "That depends… The rumours, knowing him in general, or the funny stories that he brings everywhere he goes?" she asked in a serious tone. Nathaniel stopped pacing for a second before answering. "Well, I would say the rumours, but I found out last year that they were no longer such. They intercepted a transmission from him to the Scales about a high paying job, but it never got farther than our radio people," he explained. "Mom told everyone close to her to wait until she said otherwise, and from then on kept giving him false info. She let slip that the last piece fed to him led to an undercover police op in Vacuo." He laughed at this. Michelle laughed.

"I heard about that! I might have heard a bit more though. He ended up having to run for his life to get away. Only to find himself in the Mercenary Underground Tiger Arena. Haven't heard anything since then though. He was truly the unluckiest Mercenary in Scales" Michelle giggled. Sighing in relief, Nathaniel resumed his pacing, slower this time. "That is true. But he is the reason for the enhanced initiation. Mom doesn't want anymore spies in the Fang. She told me that the new initiates who beat the Pit easily have to go and kill their former boss, and bring back a part of their body that is impossible for anyone to live without."

"Now you can literally steal someone's heart!" Michelle giggled. "You thinking about what school you're going into?" she asked him. Nathaniel put his hands behind his head and stared upwards as he replied, "I… Haven't really given it much thought. What do you plan to do if, and when, I do leave?" Michelle looked down. "I don't know… I was born into the Fangs after all… I don't plan on leaving, that would require me to pull my fangs out… Not exactly a fan of doing that. Then again, there is nothing stopping me for attempting to be a Huntress either. Fangs are accommodating when a member is still undecided." Nathaniel slowed to a stop and turned towards his sister. "Well, what about that one job a few years ago? Didn't you have to kidnap a princess or something like that?" he asked. Michelle tilted her head, confused at where he was going with this. "Yes, what about it?" Nathaniel lowered his hands. "How exactly did you manage to kidnap your target?" Michelle blinks. "Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I knew a few people who had to kidnap someone for a job in a town and then showed up in a different town, which happened to be where the target called home. Turns out the target saw their faces and recognized them the moment the stepped foot in the town. I'll just say that they had no future after that day. So the reason I'm asking is because I need to know if your target saw your face." Michelle looked away and scowled a bit. She thought back and remembered that she never covered her face. At the time, her client told her not to worry about covering her face. Nathaniel saw the scowl and grew worried. "Michelle?" he asked. "Were you seen?" Michelle remained silent. Turning around and cursing under his breath, Nathaniel rubbed a hand through his hair. All of a sudden, he turned back around and said, "Wait! I think I have a way to where this can still be salvageable." Michelle looked up. "How? She saw my face because she bumped into me, and after I dropped her off…" Nathaniel then grew a wicked grin as the black veins in his eyes pulsed.

"There would be only one way, and you know it. But in order to do it, I need to know her name," he said. Michelle shot up. Her arms, face, and neck now had black veins appear. Her eyes becoming completely black and red. " _ **You will not harm her!**_ " Michelle snapped at him. Calmly, Nathaniel held his hands up, not moving forwards or backwards. "Michelle, you know that all of the battle schools broadcast new students to the area. What do you think will happen if she happens to see your face on the tv? The best way to keep all options for the future is to eliminate the threat. We both had this drilled into us by both mom and dad. So, which do you want? A future with only one option, or a future with many options?" Michelle relaxed. "You don't know what that job was meant for, do you?" Michelle asked, the black veins started fading. Nathaniel shook his head, saying, "No, I don't. So why don't you tell me about it?"

Michelle was now pacing. "Yes, I was kidnapping her, but I also killed her guard. She was a mere child… I had her close her eyes when I shot him… He had to die because he slept with the princess' older sister, who was fifteen at the time… Her father put up the amounts for pay, he had a mob boss pick her up because he was like an uncle to her. Going to a warehouse mainly because her father wanted to get her somewhere they can talk while on their way to Vacuo…" Michelle explained. Nathaniel nodded calmly, sitting back down in his chair. "I still have one question, though, sis," he said, steepling his hands in front of him. "How do we know that there will be zero repercussions from that if you were to show your face around them?"

"I never hurt her, and I was very careful… I felt bad for what I had done and said I was sorry to her… And her father told me that I didn't have to hide my face… and the guard is dead so that is another thing." Michelle answered. Nathaniel nodded slowly. "Okay then. But, I would like to make sure that they won't threaten your future," he said. When he saw Michelle start to reply, her eyes changing once again, he held up a hand as he continued, "I won't hurt them. I will swear with blood if that'll convince you that I won't." Michelle relaxed more, the veins gone and her eyes normal. She sat and looked outside. "Alright, no need to spill your blood to convince me. Just know that I will rain hell on you if I hear Shadow Hound caused her harm… Her name was Alison Belicov… Talk to her about Dark Wolf… That might help her remember…"

Nathaniel nodded once before he reached into his shadow and took out the mask of an ancient Beowolf, which he killed the previous month and preserved. "Alright. I will be back by the time we are to report back to mother. You did say Vacuo, right?" he said. Michelle nodded. "Yup, They probably live in a mansion right now." Nathaniel nodded as he walked outside towards the shadow of a tree, mask in hand. "Alright then. I will get a promise from the _entire_ family that was involved in the job before returning. I am, however, taking Requiem with me, for my own protection of course. Don't wait up," he said as he took one last step into the shadow, disappearing completely.

~near the town of Vale, seconds later~

Nathaniel stepped out from the shadow of a large rock formation, scanning his surroundings before taking his mask off and putting Requiem in its holster on his back. _'Now to find Perry.'_ he thought to himself. Sniffing the surrounding air, he decided to head toward Vale, where the White Fang has been recruiting in mass lately. As he entered, he made his way towards the seedy area and waited for Perry to find him, knowing all White Fang members were alerted as soon as he entered. After an hour of waiting, Perry finally showed up, along with a few trainees. "What took you so long, Perry?" Nate asked. "Adam is in a very pissy mood… Now, what did you need?" Perry asked. "Straight to the point I see. Well, I need a ride to Vacuo for...business. Can you guys hook me up? If need be, I can pay for it," Nate replied. "Yeah, we can pull it off. Shouldn't take too long either." Perry replied, heading off with the trainees to get a bullhead ready. It wouldn't take the three very long to return to Nate. "Alright! Hop on and I'll take you there!" Perry yelled out.

~At Vacuo, in the Belicov Estate~

Alison was walking through the halls of the estate. She wore a black t-shirt with a silver wolf on the front of it. She also wore a purple skirt with black heels. She walked passed a few of the butlers as she went into her room, carrying a bag of painting supplies. When she walked into her room, she immediately closed the door and went up to a black canvas. The only real colour on it was red ovals near the top of it and a dark red spot near the bottom.

From a corner of the room, a voice said, "Miss Belicov…" As Alison whirled around, a lone shadow detached itself from the rest and was behind her in an instant. "Don't be alarmed. I don't mean to cause trouble. I just came to ask you something," the shadow said. "What is it that you would ask then?" Alison asked. The shadow stepped out in front of her and dropped away, revealing a man in a Beowolf mask. "Do you remember, a few years ago, someone that went by the name 'Dark Wolf'?" he asked. "W-Why do you want to know?" Alison backed up to the painting. The man nodded calmly before replying, "That answers my question, then. I will still answer yours, though. I am just someone who is concerned about others." As he said this, he pulled two chairs out of his shadow and put them in between the two. "Please, have a seat," he said. The girl eyed him for a few moments before taking a seat. "Is there a reason you're not trying to kidnap me then?" Alison asked.

As the man sat down, he tilted his head down far enough to reveal a pair of wolf ears and replied, "Actually, there is a reason. You see, I have some concern for the future of Dark Wolf, and figured you could help put those concerns to rest." Alison relaxed and smiled. "Well, what are your concerns? If you're talking about when she kidnapped me, there is no problem there. The kidnapping was mainly a cover up so that I would be able to spend time with my family." Nodding slowly, the man was silent for a while. After a few minutes, he finally replied, "This is about the kidnapping. I just want you to promise that if you see her face in the news, that you won't say anything that could ruin any possible future she has. I already spoke to your father and he agreed not to say anything. What do you say, miss Belicov?" Alison smiled. "I won't say anything. I was considering to hire Dark Wolf to be my new bodyguard! Then my father told me that Crimson Fang's don't take those kinds of jobs. It's too bad. She seemed very kind when I met her."

The man chuckled at this. After a minute, he regained his composure and straightened his mask, which slipped slightly. "Well, she _is_ nice… As long as someone doesn't piss her off," he said before standing up. "Thank you for your word, miss Belicov. And if you are ever in need of help around here or the city of Vale, just drop some Lien in any size shadow, and I will be there." With this, the shadows slowly enveloped the man once again. "I'll keep that in mind." Alison said politely. The man nodded before he was fully enveloped by the shadows, which then proceeded to fall back to the floor, leaving only a folded up scrap of paper where the man was moments before. Alison picked up the piece of paper and read it. On the paper were the words _"I am known as the Shadow Hound, for future reference."_ Alison rolled her eyes and giggled. "I'll keep that in mind." she said to herself.

~With Michelle~

Michelle was talking on her scroll to someone. Who she was speaking to was unknown. She was talking about times and dates, locations, and people. When she got off her scroll, she sighed in frustration. "Things might be getting a lot harder now… Then again… It might go south no matter what… If I go in a surprise type of strategy… But if I fuck up, I'll instantly lose the advantage… But they are a widely known Huntsmen… And I never tested my skills that far…" Michelle sat down and looked outside. She had gotten a few tattoos. One was of a black wolf on her left forearm. The other was a dragon on her right arm, from the back of her hand to her shoulder, on the scar left by the wound she received from her father's claws.

Michelle opened her scroll up and began to type up a few notes before putting it away and walking out of the house she and Nate called home. From behind her, a familiar voice spoke up. "So...I see you've been a bit busy while I was gone," Nate said, as he finished stepping through a shadow into the forest. Michelle looked at Nate. "Well, considering I am the next up to be second in command, I need to start acting the part. The tattoos are just to add… Creativity… To when I head out. Giving them something to fear and look out for…" Michelle stated.

Nate laughed at this. "I'm sure you'll find a mask that inspires more fear than those tattoos will. Also, who was that you were talking to?" he replied. "New client to the Crimson Fang. Asked to take out a Huntsmen. That's all I'm going to tell you." she answered. Her brother just shrugged before taking out Requiem in tonfa form and heading out to the forest. Over his shoulder, he yelled back, "I can respect that. I mean, is there really any reason to tell someone who's leaving the group soon anyways?" Michelle smiled. "Only if they want a going away party. The Fang aren't monsters, they are a Family. Unlike the White Fang, humans are welcome to join if they're crazy enough." she giggled and picked up her helmet. Nate turned and started walking backwards into the forest. "Well, if there is going to be a party, I'll need to make more chairs, right?" he yelled.

Michelle rolled her eyes. "True, and since you're still part of the family. I am sure everyone will still treat you like one." she smiled. Michelle put her helmet on and looked at him. "If you're going to be a huntsmen, what school are you planning on going to?" she asked. She pulled out her scroll and sent out a few messages before putting it away again. Michelle's shadow reached up and formed a clone of Nathaniel, which wrote in the ground in response, _"I honestly don't know. Maybe Beacon?"_ After it finished, it stayed where it was to communicate with its master. "Beacon… it is the closest… The question is, how legal do you want this to be? Or are you going to try to get in a different way?" she asked. Again, the clone wrote in the ground, _"I don't really think there is an illegal way to get in. Guess I'll just have to do it the regular way,"_ shrugging once finished. "There is a way, it's called faking your transcripts. It may take some time, but I can pull it off…" she stated. "And the regular way is having been to a combat school… I am not sure how to pull that off though." she explained.

Michelle's scroll went off. When she answered it, she quickly hung up. "That was weird… Oh well though…" she looked at Nate. The shadow tilted its head. _"Who was it?"_ Michelle shook her head. "No idea… They hung up before I could say anything." she replied. She put her scroll away in her back pocket before she continued to walk into the forest. The shadow fell back into its place below Michelle. As Michelle walked further into the forest, the sounds of falling trees grew more pronounced, showing no signs of slowing down. She stopped walking and looked around, attempting to locate the direction the sound was coming from. Off to her right, the shadows were doing a sort of dance, in time with the sound of the falling trees. Michelle looked right and left, grabbing her pistols and pulling them, waiting for whatever was causing those sounds to come to her. One of the trees near her shook as another fell onto it, only to be enveloped by the shadows. From the direction the tree fell, Nate's voice sounded, "I can smell you, Michelle. Care to come help?"

Michelle rushed towards Nate, wanting to see what was causing the sound. She found him in a newly made clearing, with him still cutting trees down with Requiem in tonfa form. He stopped as she entered and turned around, sweating slightly and panting hard. "What?" he asked when he regained his breath. "You wanted help with something?" Michelle lowered her pistols. "I thought there was a Grimm attacking…" she looked around the area. Nathaniel chuckled as he sat on the ground. "Two things. First, we both would sense it if there was a Grimm anywhere near us. Second, I _did_ tell you earlier that I was going to cut some some trees down to make more chairs, did I not?" Michelle relaxed and put her pistols away. "I knew about the chairs, but I forgot about the trees…" she sat down and sighed. "I guess I am getting a bit more tense lately."

Nathaniel stifled a laugh at this, saying when he finished, "A _bit_? Seriously, Michelle? You've literally been jumping at shadows the past few days, which I have to say was funny the first day." she rolled her eyes and smiled a bit. "It's hard not to when you feel like your every move is being watched by someone." Michelle replied. Nate raised his hands in the air. "Don't look at me. I've been doing my own stuff, in case you forgot. Namely, research," he said in his defense. "Research? On what if you don't mind me asking." Michelle looked at Nate in curiosity. At this, Nathaniel grinned as he pulled a bundle of papers from his shadow and placed them in his lap. "Well, let's just say that going to a battle school is not always required, sis." she smiled at him. "Is that so?" Michelle leaned back.

Her brother nodded as he pulled out a page from the middle, handing it to Michelle as he said, "I went and grabbed some papers that were lying around, and that one says that, at the headmaster's discretion, a student need not attend a battle school if they show an advanced knowledge in combat and in Grimm studies." Michelle read the page and grinned. "You stole documents from Beacon?" Nate shook his head. "No. They were literally lying around on the floor...of Vale City Hall's archives," he said, grinning. Michelle shook her head. "I bet someone could forge their own documents and sneak their way into Beacon doing that!" she giggled and handed the page back. "...Well, since you mentioned it earlier," Nate said, reaching once again into the stack of papers, pulling out a single sheet of paper, and handing it to Michelle. "No, before you ask, this isn't the official document. It's just a photocopy… And yes, I wore gloves so I can't be traced. But does that student seem... _off_...to you?" he asked.

Michelle's scroll went off again. She answered it through her helmet. "Yes?" she paused to listen to the voice on the other end of it. "What? You're joking… No, I am not calling you a liar… If I was, I would be saying it out right… Thanks… I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you." Michelle hung up and sighed. "Something happened at the camp… Someone was killed in Crimson Fang…" Nate's face grew hard as he gently put the papers back, along with the photocopied transcript, pulling his mask out. "You want to go and see the camp, or go find this bastard?" he asked. "Camp first… I don't know who was attacked…" Michelle stated. Nate got up and walked over to his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Whoever it was, they attacked family. And what do we do to those that attack family, sis?" Michelle giggled. "We make them regret being born!" she said smugly.

~Camp Crimson~

At the camp, tension was very high. Everyone was getting ready to go out on a hunt. The kind of hunt that involved finding someone and getting revenge. Michelle noticed a large crowd arguing about the recent death. "Guess they already started the meeting without us…" In the middle of the crowd was the one that normally gave out their jobs. Their name was Jeeves. No matter how much he told everyone his name, which was Jacob Hound, they would still call him Jeeves.

"Look! I know everyone is still tense on the incident… But we need to keep in mind that she would hate it if we argued over the matter!" Jeeves yelled at everyone. From the back of the crowd, someone yelled out, "What is there to talk about, Jeeves? One of our own is dead, and we can find the asshat that did this!" Michelle stepped through the crowd and began yelling at them. "Then explain how we are going to do it without causing a large panic within the City of Vale? The cops are already wary of us, they have plenty of reasons to stop us, right? Think before you act!" she yelled. The silence within the crowd was very tense. Jeeves even seemed unnerved by her sudden appearance.

"Jeeves, who died and how?" Michelle quickly asked, noticing the unnerved look he had. "W-Well… That would be the… Current head… Your mother…" Jeeves suddenly winced when Michelle pointed her pistol at his head. "How?" That single word came out as more of a demand to know then a question of how. "S-She was shot by a sniper after her aura was broken!" he said in a panic. A hand lowered Michelle's pistol slowly. "I doubt it was his fault," Nate said, as it was he who lowered the pistol. As he continued speaking, he slowly raised his voice. "There is no point in harming him. But, they are in need of a leader." At this, he motioned towards the massed mercenaries of the Crimson Fang, his voice now reaching all over the camp. "But I doubt there are any more capable of leading them than you, Michelle. So, what is your command, boss?" As his last words rang through the camp, he lowered himself to a knee.

Michelle put her pistol back into its holster and started to leave without another word. She had a dark aura around her. She knew who to ask about this and what to say to all of them. "NO ONE LEAVES THIS CAMP WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION! Anyone that does and follows me, tries to look for the killer, or ANYTHING will have hell to pay… No one get in my way without my permission!" she yelled at them all as she left the camp. She grabbed one of the cloaks that had the Crimson Fang emblem on it.

Michelle walked into the City of Vale. She made her way to the shady part of Vale. As she walked over, the guy out front stopped her. "Sorry, you're not allowed in… You're too young." He said. Michelle looked at him and glared. "I am the second in command of the Crimson Fang, I demand that you let me in…" she said angrily. The man, who was wearing bright red tinted sunglasses, seemed to have been glaring at her. Michelle sighed and used her shadows from within to grab him and throw him into the the club. She was in no mood to deal with idiots like this, she winced a bit as her finger tips seemed to have been decayed a bit. A man wearing a white dress shirt, a black vest, black gloves, and black dress pants turned to the direction of where the man was thrown from. The music in the club stopped. Michelle walked in, she had her aura flaring widely, warning everyone to be afraid.

"Now I see why one of my men was thrown into the building…" the man stated. Michelle stood in front of him. "Junior… I need some information… I need to know if there was a hit on the current leader of Crimson…" Michelle demanded. Junior leaned against his bar and Michelle sat on a bar stool next him. "Sad to say that there was. From what I gathered, the person that sent out the hit was a client of the leader of the Shadows… A recurring client. The hit was tasked to someone named 'The Hunter'. The Hunter only takes jobs that involve assassination. It's the main reason why he is known as The Hunter." Junior said as he leaned over the bar top. Michelle looked at him. "Where can I find him?" michelle asked.

"That is a lot of information Dark Wolf…" Junior grinned, until he felt fear as he stared into her black and red eyes that stared deep into his eyes. "W-Which I'll be more then happy to give you!" he smiled. Michelle looked away and waited for him to tell her. "He is currently living in one of the apartments in the market area. The place is called Crystal Inn. Should be on the fifth floor. Room 506." Junior stated. Michelle nodded and got off the stool. "Next time, I expect you to give me what I want… You of all people should know how we Crimson Fangs deal with people that waste our time with useless information." Michelle warned him.

Michelle walked towards the market area. It didn't take her long to find the Crystal Inn. She hid in the shadows to quickly appear in front of the door to room 506. As she was about to knock on the door, a gunshot blasted through the door, aimed at her head. "Don't even try you Fang scum!" a voice called out from the other side of the door. Michelle activated her semblance to its full extent. Turning herself into a living shadow. She tore through the door. The floor was decaying under her steps as she entered the room.

The man inside was wearing a brown vest that was open, revealing his bare chest that had a tattoo of a lion in the centre, light green cargo shorts, black combat boots, and a necklace with a tooth attached to it. He lifted up his sniper and fired. The bullet separated the shadows that would have been her head, only to have them come back together. Michelle walked towards him. The Hunter gritted his teeth and shifted his sniper into sword variant with serrated edges. He sliced the window open and jumped out. Landing in a roll. Michelle used the shadows to follow him.

The Hunter faced Michelle and got ready. "I am not dying today!" the Hunter yelled. Michelle charged at him and used her shadows to send him flying. She was suddenly taken out of her shadows when his blade glowed brightly and sent a beam of light. It was pure aura that was sent towards her. Michelle stood up and got her pistols out. She began firing at him. The Hunter blocked the shots with his sword. Suddenly, her right arm moved on its own and forced her to shoot her leg.

Thankfully, her aura held firm. She knew she could only take a few of her bullets before her aura broke. She extended them to their hand scythe form. She didn't feel like using her dual scythe blade, Xephosa, just yet. Michelle charged towards The Hunter and swung her right scythe down on him. He blocked it and kicked her. Michelle quickly recovered and was about to slice him in his stomach, only to have her aura shattered from a blow from behind. She was getting annoyed. _If I keep this up, I'll just be the next victim! Wait… I am letting my anger take over… I need to let loose!_ Michelle smiled and laughed. Her eyes changed to crazed ones. The Hunter was surprised by this.

Michelle put Xephosa into into its dual scythe form. She removed her cloak and helmet. She needed to be at the top of her game for this fight. Michelle charged at the hunter and suddenly jumped over his head as he got ready to block the incoming attack. Michelle used her scythe to lift up his feet from under him. She then punched him in the face, activating her left sword, shooting it into his skull. She pulled her sword out and looked down at him with a large grin on her face, the sword going back into her wrist guard. She noticed that she had caused quite a mess. She placed her helmet back on her head and was about to pick up her cloak when she suddenly felt like she was being lifted into the air. She turned around and saw a woman holding a riding crop that was pointed at her.

"It seems that Crimson Fang is more insane then I thought…" the woman stated. Michelle glared at her. " _Release me, now!_ " she snapped at her. "And that is the normal attitude of someone from the group as well. Sadly, that isn't going to happen for you. I am taking you in for murder…" the woman said. She took Michelle to Vale City Jail. The only place in Vale that deals with those that use aura. No way in and no way out using a semblance. All prisoners wear dampeners and there is even a barrier that prevents those on the outside from breaking in.

Michelle had her weapons taken away from her and she was forced to wear a dampening collar. Her helmet was taken along with her scroll. She was thrown into a cell and told that if she was good, she might be let out early. Michelle got up and laughed a bit. "I don't know which meaning you are referring to. The version that obeys the laws of this place or how I was brought up when learning to be… 'Good'." she grinned at the guard. After they walked away, Michelle sat down on the bed and sighed. "This… Will not sit well with the others…" Michelle said allowed. She grabbed her necklace and sighed. "Nate is not going to be happy if and when he finds out…" she looked outside the barred window, seeing the barrier that blocks all outside users from getting in with their semblance.

~Crimson Fang Camp~

Jeeves began passing back and forth. Everyone was now on edge. Their leader was dead, and the second in command was nowhere to be found. News of the event hadn't been sent out to them. "Has anyone heard anything?" Jeeves asked. "No… It's too quiet and I don't like it…" one person replied. "The new leader needs to be appointed! Only by blood can they be chosen!" another stated. "Who was the oldest?" Jeeves asked them all. "Dark Wolf!" a woman yelled out. "I have decided then! Even though she may not be here yet, until we hear news about if she has died, she is now the new leader of Crimson Fang!" Jeeves suddenly announced. It seemed that everyone was in agreement.

Off in the back of the crowd, Nate felt his scroll vibrate. Pulling it out of his pocket, he swore under his breath and put it up. "Hey, Jeeves! I'm heading out. Just got word from Dark Wolf that I can," he yelled over the crowd, lying through his teeth. "Very well Shadow Hound. At least we know she is still alive. Good luck to you." he said with a smile. Everyone started to relax, believing in his lie. Nate turned and walked out of the camp, pulling his mask out from the shadow of a tree as he passed it. When he was out of range of the camp's hearing, he mumbled to himself, "What have you gotten yourself into now, sis?" Looking at his scroll again, he saw the dot hasn't moved from its previous position. "Vale Police Department, Aura-enhanced Cell Block. This is not good…" With that secured in his mind, he stepped into the shadow of a cliff face and stepped out just shy of the impound, a couple blocks away from the VPD. Putting his mask on, he proceeded to cover himself in the nearby shadows, becoming invisible to all but the most perceptive of individuals. As he got closer to the doors of the VPD, he waited until the door opened, revealing the interior as a blonde woman with a riding crop strapped to her hip walked out.

Silently, Nate slipped in before the door closed again, making for a corner of the room, away from the lights at the desk. ' _Okay, sis, where exactly are you in here?_ ' he thought before feeling a type of emptiness through the double doors behind the desk. ' _There you are. Looks like I can't use stealth, so I'll use brute force. But first…_ ' After thinking this, he looked to the front doors and covered them with shadows, effectively locking it. The officer at the desk saw this and went to see what happened. Before he even got halfway to the door, Nate was there and knocked him out. Dropping the shadows and pulling out Leaf & Vine, he proceeded towards the Cell Block where Michelle was being held. Unfortunately, right on the other side of the double doors was the entirety of the Vale Police Force, along with a few Huntsmen and Huntresses.

The bullpen grew quiet as the doors swung shut. They looked towards the doors. One person began to speak. "Okay… Glynda told us to keep a close eye on the new prisoner… Anyone want to bet that this guy plans to break her out?" everyone groaned. Another person, one that had the look of a huntsmen, glared at him. "Do you not know when it is a good time NOT to say something that we were just informed about?" the man put down a mug and walked towards Nate. "This ain't a place for kids… I suggest you leave now or I'll be forced to attack… I hope you choose to be civil about this…" Nate just stood there for a second, then he mumbled something under his breath, just loud enough for the man to hear but not understand. When the man leaned in closer to ask Nate to repeat that, Nate said louder, so everyone could hear, "Now that would be counterproductive to my case, sir," punctuating this by punching the man in the gut, followed by a knee to his face as he doubled over. "Now," Nate continued, "if anyone else wants to try and stop me, you are more than welcome. But, I will only give you this one chance to leave me to my business. Now, make your choices."

Before anyone could reply, the alarm started going off. _Fight in progress in the maximum security cell block for aura users. Repeat. Fight in progress. Prisoner 0001 is attacking Prisoner 8979. All available guards are to respond._ The announcement said. All the guards and even the huntsmen and huntresses paled hearing that. "This is not good…" one said. Underneath his mask, Nate sighed before speaking. "I am guessing one of those is the one I came here to retrieve. How about we make a deal? I stop the fight for you all, and in return, I get to take who I came here for without trouble," he offered, folding his arms as he waited for an answer. "That isn't possible…" the man Nate had knocked over suddenly got up and groaned. "I will admit that you hit pretty hard… But as a huntsman… I can't allow you to get involved in a fight against, _either_ of those two… One maybe the new prisoner, but the other has been here longer than her…" the man said as he pulled out a great sword, walking away from Nate and towards the other doors. Nate lightly grabbed the man's arm, enough to stop him from walking away. "Look, sir, you are in no condition to handle this. I have experience with the new prisoner, and know how to stop her. Let me take care of this, and in return, I can guarantee you won't get raided by the Crimson Fang. If I don't take her, they will eventually find out, and come for her. Which do you think is the better option?" Nate explained.

The man looked at him. "Hmm… You may seem young… But you are somewhat wise… Though you should know… The other prisoner does not take to kindly to those that interfere with a fight… especially when it's one on one… What we are going to do is damage control. We are not stopping it. We make sure the other prisoners are safe instead… Besides… I think the two are… Catching up so to speak…" the man explained. At this, Nate's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the man's arm. "Tell me who the other prisoner is," he demanded. "This will decide how I will deal with it." the man turned to everyone else and ordered them to take positions as they started to hear cheering coming from behind the door. "Prisoner 8979. Her name is… Alex Ripper… You might recognise her other name though… The Leviathan Ripper… Does that ring any bells for you?" the man asked. The other name was familiar, but only as a famous Mercenary that had disappeared thirteen years ago. There wouldn't have been any connection to her or their father since she was a solo mercenary that used to be a Huntress until her team had a falling out. She belonged to no mercenary groups, making her a neutral choice among those that didn't want to have the mercenary randomly picked when going through a group. She was also known for her experiments when it came to researching drugs, Dust, and Grimm. That was the most common knowledge about it. There was other info on her, but it was too well hidden and anyone who had tried just disappeared themselves. Nate released his grip on the man's arm. "She's an old friend. I'll deal with them both. But, I want to make one thing clear. I take prisoner 0001 with me when I leave, or I let the Crimson Fang know where she is being held. Do you understand my terms?" the man sighed. "Yeah… Now follow me… I don't want you gettin' hurt because I let you in during a fight like this…" he led Nate through the doors and the cheering was very loud. In the middle of the room was Michelle and Alex. Alex being the one on the ground panting while Michelle walked over to her.

"You… Really have improved…" Alex stated before getting up. She charged at Michelle and elbowed her in the face. "But not to my liking…" she stated harshly, with a large grin on her face. Michelle laughed. "And you haven't changed a bit!" Michelle spat at her, getting in front of her and punching her in the gut. Nate decided to watch the fight a little more before grabbing his sister and getting back. "How often does Alex fight others?" he asked the huntsman. "Whenever she feels like it… At least 2 or three times a day… That is why there is a protocol for when that happens. Everyone knows the drill…" he replied. Michelle punched Alex in the face and sent her flying through another cell. Guards pulled those prisoners out and were taking them to the infirmary, leaving Alex inside. "That was new…" Alex commented on. Nate sighed and stepped forward, saying to the huntsman, "This has gone on long enough," continuing in a louder tone with, "Leviathan! Dark Wolf! Stop this now. It is easily seen that this place will be destroyed before one of you is either unconscious or killed."

Michelle looked at him in surprise. Alex got up and laughed. "Ooh~! Seems like the wolf has a protector! This just became more interesting!" Alex left the cell. Her lizard-like tail swayed a bit. "What are you going to choose? Continue the fight? Or run and hide?" she asked Michelle. Michelle had a very serious expression. "If I continue, I am more likely to die before I 'catch up' with you…" Michelle turned and walked towards Nate. Alex grinned and got behind him, she had picked up one of the metal bars and was about to bring it down towards him, Michelle pulled him out of the way a used her hand to block it, having the bottom of the metal bar go into her hand. "I never thought you would have saved someone…" Alex's smile dropped and she look almost sad about what had happened. Suddenly, the head of a spear appeared at the back of Alex's neck. "I would've had it, you know," Nate told Michelle, before leaning down to whisper into Alex's ear, "I'm sorry we had to meet like this. Mother would've preferred it if we met on more… Natural terms." With that said, Nate spun Vine around and brought the butt of it down across the back of Alex's neck.

Michelle shook her head. "You wouldn't have handled it…" Alex was now behind Michelle. "I see who you are now… Strange though… I never heard of you having a little brother… _Zero_." Alex said before starting to walk away. "But who am I to know? I had lost contact with Sia years ago… After all, I am good at what I do is all I know!" Alex smiled before the guards began to escort her back to her cell. Nate smiled under his mask before waving Michelle towards him. "Let's get out of here and get you back home," he said, holding the door open for her. Michelle nodded and walked towards him. She pulled the metal bar out of her hand, a bit of cold frost was on the pipe. "Why did you come after me?" Nate pulled out his scroll and showed her the map. "Someone activated it. The others were wondering what they were to do when it pinged. Of course, I lied to J about getting permission to leave, but honestly, would you rather me come for you, or the whole group?" he replied. Michelle tossed the metal bar to the ground and giggled. "I'm not that surprised. They take it seriously when the second in command barks out orders." She looked around for a bit. "Now, where are my weapons?" Nate held up a hand, saying, "I'll be right back," and going back to the huntsman, asking, "Where are possessions held at?"

"Near the front. Where the huntress was walking towards when she left. She was holding onto them when I saw her leave. Ask them about it." The huntsman explained. Nate nodded slightly. "You mean that huntress who left you all orders? When I saw her, she didn't have them with her. But thank you for the info," Nate said. The huntsman nodded and instructed the guards to start repairs from the latest fight. Michelle sat down and leaned back against a wall. Her weapons were still in the building, in the confiscated items room that would give their stuff back after they had served their time. As Nate approached the barred window, the woman behind it started to reach under the counter, until he was right in front of the window in seconds. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Now, I need the possessions of prisoner 0001. Either you hand them over, or I come through this window and get them myself," Nate said to her. She reluctantly got the box and emptied the contents into a tray that was pushed out on the other side.

"There…" she said. Nate quickly looked through the contents to make sure everything was there. "Hold on a second...there is one item missing," he said, noticing the missing necklace. Taking a quick look at his scroll, he sighed in silent anger. "Okay, miss. Hand over the necklace...Now!" The woman seemed confused. "The box is empty though…" she showed him the empty box that had contained the items. Now growling, he showed her the scroll, with the tracker app pulled up. "Now, do I have to reach through the bars, or will you cooperate?" he asked. "I am! There is nothing left!" She argued. The guard looked around on the ground just in case. There was nothing, but the guard had a confused expression. "Strange… It is on the floor…" she picked it up handed it to him through the bars. There was a note attached to it.

 _If numbers were monsters, which monster would be under the number Zero?_

The note was strange. Nate sighed in relief once he had the necklace. "Thank you. It's been a long day," he said before vanishing with all of Michelle's items. Michelle was talking to the huntsman. "We're not heartless. We don't kill children." She said to him. "Really? I thought Crimson Fang were a bunch of monsters." He said. "We're not. The Shadow Claws, on the other hand, are...or at least their former leader was," Nate said, stepping out from behind them. "Welcome back. Can I have my stuff back now?" Michelle asked, her hand was wrapped in bandages. Nate nodded as he handed her stuff over. She smiled and put everything in their proper place. She saw the note and started to read it. As she read, Nate told the huntsman, "I almost punched the woman handling the possessions. There was something missing from the box when I got it." The huntsman tilted his head. "Really? Strange… We made sure that everything was together." Michelle crumpled the paper and shoved it in her pocket. "Shadow, we need to get going…" Nate nodded and motioned towards a shadowed corner. "Then let's go," he said. She nodded, but she used her hand scythe to remove the dampening collar. She walked into the shadow in the corner and went into it, with Nate following close behind. On the other side, they came out from the same cliff face Nate went in. Nate grabbed his sister's arm and asked, "What did the note mean, Michelle?" Michelle was hoping he wouldn't ask.

"Its… Its nothing… Don't think to much about it…" she tried to pull away from his grip, knowing her lie would be seen through. Nate took off the mask and looked at Michelle, worry in his eyes. "I heard what Alex called you… _Zero_. I thought we agreed not to lie to each other about these things?" Michelle removed her helmet and sighed. "We did… But I don't want to talk about it out here…" she looked around to see if there was anyone around. Nate nodded and motioned to the west, towards camp. "Let me enter the camp first. I didn't tell them about going to save you. Jeeves might suspect if we enter at the same time," he said. "Alright. I'll count to ten before entering." She put her helmet back on and waited. Nate walked back into the camp and saw that the crowd had dissipated, leaving Jeeves standing alone in the middle of camp. Nate walked over to him. "So… What happened while I was gone, Jeeves?" he asked. "Not much. Everyone had retired in their camp after a while." Nate nodded before going into his own tent at the edge of camp, listening. Michelle walked into tent and sighed. "Are you sure you want to know about why she called me _Zero_?" Nate nodded, determination in his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure." Michelle sat down.

"I need to show you something first." Nate pulled out two chairs and set them down facing each other, taking a seat in one. "Alright. Take your time, sis," he said. She nodded and tore off the right side of her t-shirt. In a black bold font, was the the number zero on her right shoulder. Nate didn't react other than to lean forward to get a better look, and saying, "How have I not seen this before?" Michelle smiled and said, "I usually keep a shirt on and make sure it is not visible." It looked like it carved into her shoulder and burned into her. Nate leaned back, shaking his head in confusion. "I have two questions. First, who did that to you? Second, what does that have to do with the note?" he asked, still confused. "The note mentioned the number _Zero_ , which was referring to me. As for how I got it… remember when I didn't go to have this trail before you? I was sent somewhere else…" she sat down and looked at him. "Not exactly a friendly place, but I did make a few friends. The people there were scientists. They were researching the effects of a new experimental drug. One that made you unlock your semblance and aura at the same time. Not exactly pleasant. They gave us these numbers so they would have an easier time identifying who was going to which experiment."

"What did the note mean when it said ' _which monster would under the number Zero_ ', then?" Nate asked. "It means I ended up getting the first tests. Grimm blood was added to those ones before getting removed. Not sure how though. I'm a wolf with immense strength and a hot temper. They called me a monster because I'd kill like a wild animal." She explained. Nate stifled a snort. "You still do at times, but when you do, it's not actually you in control. Did those people know that?" he replied. "They did, and they encouraged it. The only person that I could trust there, was Alex." Michelle smiled. "She was the one that actually made sure that I was safe and kept explaining anything new that would happen. She was in charge of keeping everyone alive." She giggled. "The place was not the best and you would want everyone dead. I think even the Huntsmen and Huntresses would all agree that that place shouldn't have existed…"

Michelle leaned back and sighed. "I was there for three years. I was meant to be on a job to begin with anyways. So, I decided to make it one. Alex was my informant. She would call me Zero around everyone so they didn't suspect that she was helping me in the first place." she looked at her brother. "There may be other things that I am hiding from you, but those I am not allowed to talk about. I would like to keep those secret if you do not mind." Nathaniel nodded in understanding, saying, "Alright. I know you have secrets you want to keep. But I _have_ been wondering about how your eyes were able to change before the Wyvern. This explains it, I guess." Michelle smiled. "Yeah, they did that. At least I don't have to worry about that place still being around anymore. I do have some good news though." she looked at Nate. "I found the person that killed Mom! You also don't need to worry about him anymore either. I killed him. Sadly, I didn't get the chance to find the person that sent out the hit on her in the first place."

Nate laughed. "So _that's_ why you were in the VPD…Wait…Who arrested you?" he asked, leaning forward and steepling his fingers in front of his face. Michelle scratched the back of her head. "I believe that would have been Glynda Goodwitch. A professor at Beacon Academy." Nathaniel leaned back and sighed. "Well, I wouldn't go back into Vale for awhile if I were you. If the huntsmen, huntresses, or officers tell her about you escaping, she might plaster either a picture or a description of you," he said after a few seconds. She nodded. "Yay, but that also means I need to get ready to lead the Crimson Fang." Michelle smiled. Nate nodded before standing up, saying, "And while you do that, I'll go and do some more research. See if there is a way to get the headmaster's attention without seeming suspicious." Michelle smiled. "Go right ahead. I'll be sure to help you if you need anything. I do have a few people we can talk to if you need help with it as well." Michelle got up and left her brother's tent. Heading to the one that was only for the leader to enter. She decided to see what was left for her now that she was the new leader.

~couple of weeks later~

Michelle was in the large building in the back of camp, more specifically, the back room that none of the other members were allowed in unless she gave them permission to enter. She was pacing back and forth in front of a person that was from the Guild. A group of Mercenaries that have tried many times to show the other mercenary groups that they were better. Michelle was slowly getting close to losing her mind talking to him. "I'll ask again… why did you come into the camp?" Michelle asked. The man smiled. "I was out for a stroll! You should try it sometime! Would be good for your soul!" the man replied. Michelle grabbed his arm tightly. The man started to feel movement under his skin. He looked down and saw black shadows ripping out and tearing his arm. He yelled out in pain. She let go and the shadows disappeared.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" she asked. He shook his head and panted. "No… I was here because I was ordered to come here… I was… Meant to spy-" he screamed in agony. Michelle had removed his right index finger and tossed it behind her. "Tell me why." Michelle demanded. "To-To see if the… Crimson Fang were going to attack-" Michelle cut off his right middle finger. "We only attacked because you tried to kill one of us… I'll try one more time… Who sent you?" she asked. "Crane!" Michelle sighed. "No… That was not the answer I was looking for… I already know who sent you… I was just making sure you were telling me the truth… So far… I believe you were lying…" Michelle removes his right ring finger. He screamed even louder. "I was tasked to attack the Crimson on behalf of client that went by the name Zinc! I swear!" the man yelled. Michelle smiled and walked over to the table. "Good. I am glad you finally told the truth." she turned to him and shot him in the head using a crossbow bolt with ice Dust, which began to freeze his entire body as he died.

Michelle left the back room and sighed. She sat in a chair, stretching out, carrying the scent of fresh blood on her was on her hands. She was contemplating whether she should clean the back room before she interrogates the next person, or leave the body there and scare the next person. From outside the building, a voice called out, "Boss! There's someone out here to see you. Should I send 'em in?" Michelle relaxed. "Yay! I'm ready to see people at the moment!" she yelled out. As soon as she said that, the door opened and Nate walked in. "I see you've been a little busy…I can still smell the blood from the back," he said. Michelle giggled and licked her hands a bit. "Yeah, that is true. People have been getting a lot of balls just to get into camp. I still have about… Two people left to interrogate. How have you been? Anything new?" she asked with a large grin. Nate lowered his head, looking at the floor, before raising it back up with a matching grin. "We're in the clear! There's been no chatter about an _escaped_ prisoner, no pictures of your face flying around, and no descriptions of you in any of the crowded areas. Seems like the VPD is capable of keeping its mouth shut," he told her. "Of course, that doesn't mean she isn't looking. I still catch Glynda's scent in the shady areas of town, meaning she probably knows…" he continued.

Michelle thought for a bit. "She is a very capable huntress… Maybe there is a reason she is hounding me though… Normally, if a prisoner escapes after she had caught them, she would let the VPD or another huntsman or huntress take over instead of her…" she got up and started heading to the entrance. "I got word that someone was attacked out in a field going to meet with a huntsman… luckily the huntsman made it in time… but something about the attack doesn't seem right… Oh well… How has your research been going?" Nate followed his sister and scratched the back of his head. "Well… Let's just say that I might have to forge some papers… I asked Junior, but he said he wouldn't help me… No surprise there… And I can't find my regular contact in Vale… Guess I'll need your help, sis," he explained. Michelle looked at him. "Alright. There is someone that I know that has done forgery of this caliber. However, he hates doing it because it gets boring after a while. The only way you can get him to do a great job on it, is if you do something for him. You don't, he'll make it look blatantly obvious that it was forged." she stated. Nate grinned, and looked up at the sky. "Did you already forget how persuasive I can be? I mean, I persuaded the VPD to let you go without a fight… Then again, how many people have been to see him?" he asked.

"Hundred, including me. At least about… 90 of those people are currently in jail for forgery because he convinced the headmaster of Beacon that he had nothing to do with the forgeries and the others are lying. The only reason I wasn't one of those times was because I just wanted to get it done and over with and he prefers it when people do that." Michelle explained. "I suggest you don't piss him off either. He can call the headmaster at anytime since he has his number." Nathaniel nodded, saying, "Alright. Also, just curious, but what did you need forged papers for?" Michelle looked away from Nate. "Did I ever tell you I wasn't allowed in Mistral for about a month?" Michelle started walking around the camp. "Let's just say that I needed the Vale representative to write a letter saying that I would be free to enter Mistral to be able to go back." Nathaniel just held up his hands, saying, "Not even going to ask about that. So...where does this guy work?" Michelle looks at him and smiles. "He works in in the city. You'll find him in an office building. Don't worry! I'm sure everything will work out!" She starts walking away again. Nathaniel nods before grabbing Grimm's Thorn and his mask, walking out of the camp towards the usual cliff face.

~downtown Vale~

Nate was across the street from Junior's bar, watching people walk in and out, along with the occasional criminal entering and leaving with a few goons. He had his mask strapped on his back, underneath his new black jacket, and had Grimm's Thorn in its carry form at his feet. As he watched, a man in a white coat with a hooked cane walked over and stood next to Nate. "So, you looking for someone, or are you just loitering around, kid?" the man asked. Nate stood still and replied, "What's it to you, old man?" The man just frowned and pointed his cane towards the bar. "Junior sent me out. He says to either go inside, or get lost. Honestly, I don't care what you do," the man said while walking away. "Either way, you're probably screwed, little pup," was the last thing he said before walking out of sight. Nate slowly unclenched his fists before finally letting out an enraged hiss and walking up to the doors. "Hey! You're not allowed in!" the goon at the door said when Nate approached. Nate jerked a thumb down the street where the man walked down. "He told me I'm expected. So either move, or I make you," he said, subtly gripping the handle on the box. The goon, having been thrown through these same doors awhile back, quickly stepped aside and let Nate enter.

As soon as he got through the inner doors, Nate immediately reached into his pockets and withdrew two earplugs, placing them in his sensitive set of ears. When they were in place, he looked around, trying to find Junior just on pure guessing alone. Failing this, he just made his way to the bar, avoiding the people dancing wildly on the dance floor, and took a seat on the first empty bar stool. As soon as he sat down, the bartender walked up to him and sized him up. "A bit young to be in here, ain't ya?" he asked. Nate just ignored the question, choosing instead to continue looking for Junior. After hearing the bartender clear his throat, Nate finally asked, without turning around, "I'm here to talk to Junior. Any idea where I could find him?" The bartender chuckled at this and put a hand roughly on Nate's shoulder. "He's the bartender you've been ignoring. So you're the one who's been hiding in the shadows across the street?" he asked. Nate turned around and saw the face that he's heard about from other mercenaries. "So you're the man who's supposed to have all the info in Vale?" Nate retorted. Junior chuckled again as he went to clean the glasses behind the counter. "I see you have a sharp tongue. What is it you need? Or are you just here to waste my time?" Nate just tapped the counter, staring at Junior. "Okay, either ask your question or get out. As you can see, I am busy tonight, and don't have time to spare," Junior said, gesturing to both ends of the bar.

Nate stopped his tapping and finally spoke. "Do you know which building the Forger works from?" Junior almost dropped the glass he was currently cleaning when he heard that name. Sweating slightly, he proceeded to ask, "W-why do you want to visit him?" Nate just stared with at Junior a blank expression, not even bothering to answer. "Of course… Right," Junior said. "I know which building he works from, but that information ain't cheap, kid. It'll cost ya dearly. That ugly box may be enough to cover it." Nate stood up, his grip visibly tightening, as he said, "This 'box' isn't for sale. Now, if it's Lien you want, I can do that. Just name your price, Junior. Or do I have to take my money elsewhere?" With that said, he turned and took slow, deliberate steps towards the doors before Junior replied, "Wait! I'm a businessman, you seem like the sort who pays well… Or someone who knows how to get stuff they want. I'll cut ya a deal. I'll give you the address of the Forger, you put in a good word for me, and it'll only cost you fifty thousand Lien. No one else could give you a better offer. So, what do you say?" Nate slowly turned back around and stared Junior in the eye...as best as he could anyways. "Lower the price to five hundred, tell your goons in the rafters to lower their weapons, and I'll _consider_ it," he replied, visibly glancing at the concealed goons. "You drive a hard bargain, kid. Five thousand, and you get to leave without a scratch. That's my final offer," Junior said, his goons beginning to block off all exits and surrounding Nate.

Nate saw this and chuckled. "You know, I don't believe that's what I said. So be it then," he replied, swinging the box into the nearest goon's jaw, destroying it as a shot rang throughout the club, with a goon dropping from the rafters with a hole in his chest. Junior stared with an open mouth as Nate spoke again, "Now, do you want me to continue, or will you take my offer, Junior? Time's ticking." Junior still stared open mouthed at his Fallen goons. "H-how did you kill him?! H-he had his aura unlocked!" a goon stuttered out. Junior switched his dumbfounded stare to Nate and said, "Alright. Five hundred Lien. I'll have one of my men take you to the Forger." With this, he pulled out a radio and shouted into it, "Venny! Get your ass in here now! I have a job for you!" Seconds later, a visibly drunk man dressed in the same outfit as the others came out from the back room. As soon as he saw his friends on the ground, he sobered up and walked over to Junior. After a few minutes, Nate and Venny were on their way to meet the Forger.

~The Forger's place~

In the office the Forger worked in, there was a strange assortment of skulls tied to chains, purple lighting in a dark room, and a few lit candles. In the centre of the room, was a monkey Faunus hold a staff, shirtless, wearing black shorts, and had a gruff look to him. His eyes were closed. From a small intercom, a buzz was heard, waiting to be connected. The monkey Faunus pushed the button to let them up using the staff he had. Moments later, the office door opened as Nate walked in, while Venny stayed outside. The monkey Faunus looked up, his eyes open, looking at Nate. "You… Are the second wolf I have met…" he said, his voice was deep and rough. Nate nodded, looking over his shoulder at the now empty hallway. "I guess you can put it that way. I heard you can make perfect forgeries. Can you help me out?" Nate asked. "That depends… I need to know what kind of forgery we talking about here? But seeing as how young you are… I'd say you want to get forms to get you into Beacon…" He said as he stood up in front of Nate. Nate chuckled and replied, "I'm guessing the other wolf called you ahead of me… But yes, those are what I need." The monkey shook his head. "Last time I checked, I didn't have a phone, and no I don't have email, and I refuse all letters… I can just tell… But here is the thing… What's in it for me?" the monkey asked. Nate held up his hands and said, "Sadly, I have nothing to offer. But, if you need anyone disposed of, I can do that." Monkey Faunus shook his head.

"Sorry kid… That is not something I would have a kid do… I prefer having things retrieved, information, or a reason why you would like to go… I prefer not spilling blood…" he poked Nate with one of the ends of the staff before turning around. Nate smiled slightly. "Well, if you want my reason for wanting to go to Beacon, I'll tell you. I've been raised by mercenaries since birth, but I don't want to be one all my life. I want a type of fresh start," he explained. He turned and looked at Nate. "Hmm… You remind me of someone… Except she wasn't a mercenary… She had a lot of good in her heart… Fine… Hand me the documents and I'll fill them out… Is there anything else?" he asked. Nate handed over the documents, a thoughtful look on his face, before replying, "If you don't mind, could you put a reason for me to randomly leave the campus for periods of time? I still plan to earn some Lien while at Beacon." he took the documents and nodded. "I'll put that you have a relative that needs help since they may be suffering from dementia… That usually works… Especially since helping them involves taking a few days or so to be able to figure out the problem." he stated. He began to fill out the paper right away. Nate nodded and stood in the shadows as the monkey Faunus worked. After he was done writing, he handed the papers back to him. "Tell the other wolf… The job is good to go… And that she needs to head to extraction point…" he said before sitting on the floor. Nate nodded, stowing the papers away as he turned to leave before remembering something. "Oh, almost forgot, Junior wanted me to put a good word in for him." With that, Nate walked out the door and left the building. The monkey sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah… I know…"

~Crimson Fang Camp~

Michelle was cleaning her hands of the latest person she just interrogated. The room was finally cleaned of bodies and blood. She walked out of the main building and started walking towards her tent. As she got closer, she saw Nate standing outside her tent. When he saw her, he waved and waited for her to get closer. Michelle walked up to him. "I guess things went well." Nate nodded. "Yup. Also, the Forger said to tell you the job is good to go and that you need to head to the extraction point," he replied. Michelle grinned and went into her tent. "About fucking time! I was starting to think that I wouldn't be invited to go!" she started to get her equipment on. Nate sighed and shook his head. "Do I even want to know?" Michelle got her helmet on and giggled. "That depends, do you want me to kill you after or do you prefer staying alive long enough to get through Beacon?" She turned to him. Nate laughed at this. "Okay. Okay. I get it. Classified mission… Not like we're evenly matched anyways," he said, a big smile on his face.

Michelle rolled her eyes. "For now we are evenly matched, I will be stronger though. Now, I need to head out. If I am late, I miss something important!" Michelle fell back into her shadow and disappeared into it. Nate shook his head as he walked out of the tent, seeing the rest of the camp was now busy with something, and went to the edge of the camp to relax.

After a day had gone by, the blonde haired huntress walked up to their camp. Jeeves stopped her and demanded her reason for coming there. "I must speak to the leader of the Crimson Fang…" Nate heard this and quickly put his mask on, walking over to the pair and laying a hand on Jeeves' shoulder. "The leader's not here right now, ma'am. I'll be more than glad to help though," he said, subtly telling Jeeves to get out of sight. Jeeves nodded and quickly walked away. The huntress crossed her arms. "Hmm… Strange… But I was meant to inform Sia that something happened to her daughter that she would need to hear…" the huntress stated. Nate lowered his head and quietly informed the huntress, "I'm sorry, but Sia's dead. That woman you arrested for murder a while back was avenging her death." the huntress cursed under her breath.

"That explains a lot then… But since Crimson Fang considers themselves family with all of its members… I need to inform that there was an incident yesterday. She is currently in the hospital for severe injuries. Apparently, someone had attacked her. The person was torn to shreds and a witness is very traumatized about the event." the huntress explained. Now it was Nate's turn to curse under his breath. "Have you contacted her next of kin?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "We don't know if she has any… All we know is that she had gone to a meeting with the leader of the White Fang and was making her way back to Vale when she was attacked. She is currently unconscious." the huntress explained. Nate nodded and waved Jeeves over. When he was at Nate's side, Nate said, "Call a meeting. Now!" Turning back to the huntress, he said, "Thank you for bringing this information to us. Now, if you please, let us have a moment to ourselves." the huntress nodded and left.

Jeeves called the meeting and everyone was there in a matter of seconds. "What is going on?" someone asked. Nate stepped to the front of the group and took off his mask. "Everyone, I have some sad news to deliver," he shouted over everyone. "Our leader, my sister, was attacked yesterday. She's alive, but is in a hospital right now for her injuries. I will not say how I came by this information," at this, he subtly glanced at Jeeves before resuming, "but I will be going to see her later, and will bring back any news and orders she has, if she can speak." After he finished, he slowly walked away, signaling he was done talking. Everyone nodded and continued as before, albeit a lot more tense now. Jeeves began getting jobs for those that need to get the edge off.

~In the Hospital~

Michelle had most of her upper torso covered in bandages. Her eyes were closed. She was attached to a few machines that helped her breath and helped with her aura. A shadow appeared in the corner and Nate stepped out, with his mask on. He walked over to the side of Michelle's bed and laid a hand on her arm. "It'll be alright, sis. It'll be alright," he said, more to himself than to Michelle. A doctor walked in the room. "Hmm… That's a bit unstable… I'll have to keep an eye on that… Then again… It could be from the stress… Using a semblance like that is dangerous… But I wonder how she pulled it off the way she did…" the doctor said aloud, not realizing Nate was in the room. Nate looked over at the doctor and said roughly, "What exactly did she do?" the doctor froze a bit. She lowered the clipboard and stared at Nate. "Well, she basically used her semblance in its fullest state for longer than she is capable of… It had began eating her body, quite literally. From what the witness stated, "Her arm had become a skeleton." Which is very strange. A semblance shouldn't be capable of causing an effect like that… Unless… Hmm…" the doctor paused for a moment. "I'll need to ask Glynda if she could release the Leviathan to be able to help with this patient…" the doctor stated. Nate blocked the doors with some shadows. "Last time those two met, they nearly destroyed a building. Now, unless you want that to happen again, I would refrain from doing that," Nate told her. "What do you think is the problem?"

"That's the thing… I am not a specialist in this sort of thing. I only know that Alex has… Dealt with these symptoms before… In fact… Years back, she had decided to investigate where the source had come from… Ever since then, patients like this are pretty much rare to find…" the doctor explained. Michelle groaned and gripped the sheets under her. Nate looked worriedly at his sister before looking back at the doctor. "If it'll help her get out of here, I'll get Leviathan," Nate said, a portal forming in the corner of the room as the shadows over the door disappeared.

Alex was lying in her cell, staring at the ceiling. She was a bit bored and contemplating if she should start another fight. Something poked her shoulder, the one right up against the wall. Alex looked over to what poked her in confusion. "The fuck was that?" she said out loud. Suddenly, a hand popped through a shadow and beckoned for Alex to enter urgently. Alex looked around briefly before going into the shadow. She saw Nate and the doctor at first glance. "Is there a reason you wanted me out that badly?" she asked. Nate just waved over to the right of Alex, towards Michelle's bed. Alex's eyes widened seeing this. She went to Michelle and looked over her. "How long has she been like this?" Alex asked, the sudden change from uncaring to professional urgency was apparent. Nate shivered slightly as he replied, "From what I was told this morning, since yesterday. I'm thinking it has something to do with you-know-what."

Alex took the chart from the doctor's hands and looked it over. "It is… Something caused one of her aura points to rupture… Good news, if it wasn't caught this quickly… We might lose her… It would be something worse than death… Then again… Her Semblance being forcibly awakened like it was still has the same side effects as before…. Which means… I need either a human, Faunus, or an animal…" Alex put the chart down and removed the covers from Michelle to look at all her injuries. "You mean blood?" Nate asked. "It's not blood that she needs… An aura point was ruptured, blood isn't going to work… I do know how to pull this off though…" she grabbed Michelle's arm, the shadows on her arm were starting to leave. "Her arm is where it was ruptured… That's good… This makes it easier…" she had michelle grab her arm. Alex winced and stood still. Nate looked at Alex. "Everything okay, Leviathan?" Michelle was holding her arm tightly. The shadows began to stabilize, Alex's aura began to glow around her. When Michelle let go, the shadows had stopped. "Yeah… Her grip is tight…" Michelle began to relax. Alex smiled. "Okay… That should solve one problem… The next is the other instability…" Nate tilted his head in confusion. Alex pulled out a syringe and uncapped it. "Now… This is going to be the worst part…" she stabbed it into Michelle's chest and injected the contents into her. Michelle's eyes opened and the shadows in the room grew out and covered every object in it. The entire room was enveloped into darkness. Michelle screamed and grabbed Alex's arm. She was in a lot of pain from whatever was in the syringe. After a while, the shadows receded, Michelle had calmed down, and Alex removed the syringe. Nate rushed over to the bedside and kneeled down next to Michelle. She seemed to be asleep.

Alex sighed and stood up straight. "I think that should be good… As long as nothing happens to cause her to relapse in the next few hours, the rupture will heal quickly." Nate nodded as he reformed a portal in the corner. "Alright. Now, time for you to go back. Don't want the VPD to know their most dangerous prisoner has escaped," he said. Alex stepped into it saying, "I want to be in touch with her condition!" Nate slipped a note into the shadow before it closed. _'Check the shadows of your cell nightly,'_ was written on it. Michelle started to open her eyes and look around the room. "Mmm… Fucking… Nightmares…" she mumbled. Nate looked towards the doctor. "Give us a few minutes alone," Nate requested. The doctor smiled and nodded. "Sure thing!" she left the room, locking the door to give them more privacy. Nate covered the windows and doors with shadows before taking off his mask and smiling. "Welcome back, sis. You had me worried there." Michelle smiled. "Seems I have a habit of doing that." She sat up slowly and groaned a bit. Nate gently helped her up. "You were out for a full day. Do you have any idea what happened yesterday?" he asked. Michelle looked at the ground, trying to remember. "Hmm… I remember getting off the boat… Deciding that I would walk back… I got into the forest and some people started to attack me. I dodged them… Then… I felt something… My body hurt… Finally… Darkness clouded my vision… I could hear screams…" Michelle held her head. "It's hard to remember the rest…" Nate leaned back and sighed. "Well, I'm not happy with how I got the news, but I'm happy you're alive," he said before standing up. Michelle sighed. "I'm sorry… This is usually easy to control…" she said looking down. Nate looked at her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You want to know something, Michelle?" he asked. She looked up at Nate. "What?"

Nate sighed as he sat kneeled back down next to her. "I've been having some problems also. It took me three tries to get here, even though I've been here before. Hell, my own shadow latched onto me and kept me from moving once," he explained. Michelle giggled. "Is that so?" She smiled at him. Nate chuckled. "Yeah. It is. I believe it's due to the Grimm blood we have…" he mused. "Because of the experiments, I haven't exactly been able to go all out without having my arm become a skeleton. It's painful… But I am sure I'll be okay. Blood or not." She smiled at him. Nate smiled slightly as he held a hand out to Michelle. "Think you're ready to travel some?" he asked. "I told the camp when I got the news. Someone had to since you didn't exactly appoint a second." She rolled her eyes. "The second is always by blood. You are technically second. I think I am good. I think I need to sleep for a while though. Whatever was given to me feels like it's still trying to get through my system." She said as she started to get up and remove the machines. Nate lightly ruffled Michelle's hair as he helped her. "Well, you do like to break the rules, sis," Nate said. "That's why I said _'appoint'_ instead." She giggled and stood up straight. "You are second. Especially since I won't be able to do anything for a couple of days." Nate helped Michelle into the shadow, appearing just outside her tent. "Well, what about when I'm at Beacon and you're out on a job? I can't drop everything without warning, otherwise they'll get suspicious," Nate asked.

Michelle smiles. "Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get into Beacon as well!" Nate smiled at this. "That would be great!" His face suddenly took on a thoughtful expression. "Wait… I just realized something… The hun-...Person who informed me about you came to tell our mother, not knowing about her yet… But, why wouldn't she…" Nate began musing out loud. "We never let it leave the camp… As far as anyone knows, she's alive… I wasn't meant to be ready to be leader until I was at least twenty. That way, I'd have a chance to think about things." Michelle explained. Nate inhaled sharply before making up his mind. "Michelle… That person who informed me about you… She was the same person who arrested you a while back…" he said, slightly wincing at his own words. "That means… She must have known our mother maybe… Or something like that…" Michelle started thinking. Nate sighed again before saying, "Well… Thing is… She asked to see Sia… t\To give her the news personally… I-I chose to tell her… I don't know what I was thinking at the time…" Michelle thought for a moment. "This could still work… Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon, knows about the Crimson Fang. He knows that if a member wanted to be a huntress or a huntsmen, they'll see it through."

Nate smirked. "And how exactly did he come by that information, sis? Do you happen to know?" he asked. "He knows, because he knew the person that started the Crimson Fang in the first place. The one that used to be a knight under the king of Vale until he got bored. Victor "The Demon" Zellos." Michelle stated. "Crimson Fang also known for their brutal attacks… That is another thing he should know since common knowledge." Michelle smirked a bit. Nate just smiled as he shook his head. "Well, you are the more brutal of us...Except for when I lose control...I still need to find a way to control that side…" he said. "Yeah yeah… Well, I still need to time to recover before I can be my brutal self again." she smiles. She looks at the corner of the room. She could hear the voice of the woman again. She looks at Nate worriedly. Nate looked back, eyes slightly widened. "Do you hear her? See her?" Michelle asked him. Nate shook his head. "I can only hear her. But the sound's like she's in this very room. I-I've never heard it this clearly before…" he said, clearly shaken. " _ **Have you not told him yet?**_ " the voice said. Michelle's ears lowered. Nate looked back at Michelle. "Wait, she just asked if you haven't told me yet. Told me what, Michelle?" he asked, concerned.

"I-I don't want to…" Michelle said, looking away. " _ **Stubbornness won't get you anywhere… If you don't tell him, I will.**_ " she said. Nate looked up and mentally yelled, _'Why don't you just leave us alone?!'_ the woman chuckled a bit. " _ **I can't simply leave you alone if your sister is working for me.**_ " she said. Michelle clenched her teeth a bit. Nate slowly lowered his head till he was looking at Michelle. He tried to form a question, but couldn't find the words, settling for staring into space out of confusion. "N-Nate…" Michelle looked at Nate. " _ **It seems he is at a loss for words. Should I have him involved as well?**_ " the voice said. Michelle growled hearing that. Nate snapped out of his trance and stood up. "Whatever it is, I want no fucking part in it. Right now, i have one goal in mind, and I will not jeopardize it." At this, he turned to Michelle. "It's clear that this woman can read our thoughts. So, I'm just going to push all thoughts to the side, even if it means putting my emotions away. Now, I'll still help manage the Fangs, but I'll let you decide what direction to take them," he said, his voice slowly falling into a monotone. "I-I don't know… I wasn't meant to be leader so q-quickly…" Michelle looked worried. Nate slowly put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, boss. You'll be a great leader. Now, if both of you don't mind," he said, mentally yelling the 'you' at the woman, "I'll be off. Michelle, you'll know where I'm heading." With that he opened up a shadow and slowly walked into it. "I'm sorry…" Michelle turned and disappeared into her shadow.

* * *

 **Dark Dragon Queen of Death: Think we have just gave this a twist that can't be untwisted. Maybe Michelle will still go to Beacon though, who knows!**


	4. Chapter 4: Change

**_Nathaniel: Time for another chapter. Here's to chapter 4, guys. So how will my plan to get into Beacon go? Gotta read and find out._**

 **Chapter four  
** **Change  
** **Third-person P.O.V.**

Nathaniel was in the anteroom, waiting for the giant double doors to open and admit him to the headmaster's office. Off to his left, Glynda sat at a desk, probably writing lesson plans. After a couple seconds, the doors opened, showing the spacious office and its two occupants, Professor Ozpin and General James Ironwood, with the latter walking out, fury evident in his eyes. Nathaniel looked at Glynda, who just waved him on, before stepping through the doorway. "Glad to see that you could arrive without any issues. Please, have a seat." Ozpin gestured to a chair in front of his desk, looking at Nate. Nate nodded and took a seat, setting his papers in his lap. "Thank you for agreeing to see me, sir," Nate replied. "It was no problem at all. If you don't mind, tell me why I should let you into my school before your of age to apply? Why not wait a year before applying?" Ozpin asked him.

Nate shifted his gaze to the window before replying, "Well, you see sir, it's just me, my sister, and our dying mother out at the border of Vale and Vacuo. Right now, my sister is taking care of my mother, but supplies are limited, so I decided to train to become a huntsman so I can earn enough money to buy the medicine she needs. The thing is, my mother doesn't want any doctors or nurses near her and refuses to go to a hospital. So that's why me and my sister are taking care of her." Ozpin nodded. "I see. May I see your forms?" Ozpin asked. His hand extending towards Nate. Nate handed over the papers, his face calm. Ozpin looked over the forms, his expression never changed, but he looked at the name on the form. "Hmm…" he hummed to himself. Nate tilted his head, looking at the headmaster. "Is there something wrong, sir?" he asked. "Possibly. It also depends on if you're telling me the truth or not. The border between Vacuo and Vale are usually high traffic places. Meaning that huntsmen that are passing through by land know about most of the towns, cities, and even run down shacks that are near there. I have yet to hear a single huntsmen or huntress know about anything of a house with three people living there with a mother that is suffering from an illness." Ozpin stated.

Nate just looked solemnly at Ozpin. "We really don't stand out, sir. We live in one of the rare areas that aren't travelled often by huntsmen and huntresses. It's instead frequently travelled by bandits, criminals, and mercenaries. They leave us alone because they think we offer no threat," he explained, watching the Professor's expression and eyes for any hint to his thoughts. "That is certainly odd. Bandits attack whether you're a threat or not. Do you mind telling me your name?" Ozpin asked him. He gave no indication on what he was really thinking. Nate sighed, knowing this would come up. "My name is Nathaniel Zellos. Sir, I know you have suspicions about me, and about my family. I just want you to know that we are actually runners from the family tradition. When we first got to our house, my mother made an agreement with some unsavory people, but they spread the word to not harm us. I only have the best intentions at heart right now, applying to go to your school." With that out, he slightly lowered his head, and waited. "Zellos…" he chuckled a bit, he smiled at Nate. "I find it interesting that you would hide your family name. It is known that the Zellos family were knights along with the king of Vale. Only to change a year before the great war even started. I also highly doubt that Sia would make an agreement that would cause that kind stir. Then again, she did pass away not that long ago and now your sister is most likely the head of the Crimson Fang." Ozpin leaned back, still smiling at Nate. Nate was slightly shocked that Ozpin knew this, but didn't show it. "Yes, I am related to Sia, but I am telling the truth when I say that I broke away from that life. I had no idea she passed away, though," he told the headmaster.

"Strange, usually Crimson Fang members are informed about is. Then again, I also know that the Crimson Fang it more than accommodating when a member wants to try to expand what they know before they truly commit to joining. Sia even said that she wanted to try being a huntress before she decided to be a full member in it." Ozpin eyed nate, seeing any subtle changes. "You can also thank Glynda for the information. She found out from one of the members when she tried to inform her of her daughter being in the hospital. Her sudden disappearance begs for a lot of questions." Ozpin added.

Nathaniel shrugged in response. "Like I said, sir, I broke away from that life. I wouldn't know of any important events or disasters like that." Ozpin nodded. "Very well. I'll hold onto your forms and I'll let you know on my decision. Is that alright with you?" he didn't seem to pleased with nate, but he also didn't seem impressed either. Ozpin was very hard to read. Nate nodded as he stood up, setting a slip of paper on the desk. "That's alright. This is where I'm staying at, sir," he replied, turning and walking out. Ozpin nodded and looked at the paper. "Very well."

~At the Crimson Fangs~

Michelle was in a room in one of the newly built buildings meant to store more weapons. She was looking over them to make sure they were decently sharp before heading out of the room. She headed for the main tent to get some supplies from there. One of the new recruits saw Michelle and called out to her, "Hey, boss! There's someone here wanting to join!" Michelle tilted her head and crossed her arms. "Really? Well, tell them to head to the main tent. Or at least bring them to the main tent." She instructed the recruit. She headed into the main tent and waited. After a few seconds, a lion Faunus slowly walked into the tent. "Are you Dark Wolf?" he asked. Michelle leaned back, her helmet was on her head already. "Yes, I am. I hear you wanted to join the Crimson Fang." she said to the lion Faunus. He nodded, standing at attention. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, a bit too formally. Michelle stood up straight and walked towards him. "Why do you want to join?" She asked him.

The lion Faunus replied almost instantly, as if expecting the question, "I want to join so I can grow stronger." Michelle walked around the lion. "Stronger… tell me, do you know how the Crimson Fang works?" She asked him. The lion shook his head. "Not entirely, ma'am. I've heard rumors, but I never trust them," he replied. Michelle stopped moving. "Are you willing to have your teeth ripped out of your skull?" Michelle suddenly asked. The lion kept his composure, but started to sweat slightly. "I am willing to do anything, ma'am," he replied. Michelle turned to him. "How well can you fight a creature of Grimm?" She asked. The lion relaxed a little at this, replying, "I can kill a boarbatusk in five minutes flat, ma'am." Michelle smiled under her helmet. "Glad you're brimming with confidence. Now follow me… you are going to go through initiation…" Michelle left the tent and yelled out to Jeeves. "Get the bullheads running! We got a new person wanting to join!"

"On it!" Jeeves yelled back. He got at least ten bullheads ready to go, everyone wanting to get on but had to wait for it to return before they could head to the Pit. Michelle went to her own bullhead and got on with the lion Faunus. "I'll be driving us there. I want you to leave any weapon you have behind. If you bring any, I will have everyone kill you on the spot. Am I clear?" she asked him. He nodded and left his weapons behind before boarding.

Michelle started up the bullhead and started taking off. It didn't take them long to get to what looked to be a hidden entrance in a cave. "Where are we going?" the lion asked. Michelle landed the bullhead on a platform. "You'll understand when you see it." Michelle replied. She led him inside and brought him to the lower levels. "Are you going to tell me where we are, ma'am?" the lion faunus asked. "You're not allowed to know." Michelle handed him a small dagger and pushed him into the arena. The door shut behind him and Michelle went up the a platform quickly. "What is the meaning of this?!" he yelled. Michelle laughed at him a bit. "You claim to want to join Crimson Fang, but you are way to formal about it…" she paced back and forth on the platform. "Formality is a shit thing in Crimson Fang. No one is formal here!" she yelled out. "You bitch!" he snapped up. Michelle stopped walking and pulled on a lever, opening a gate that was directly under her. "Well, if you're going to be like that, then why not have some fun with an old friend of mine!" Michelle said excitedly. The lion Faunus' eyes widened. "What the fuck are you talking about?!" he snapped at her.

Hissing came from it. A large deathstalker crawled out and yelled. "You monster…" he muttered as he saw the large ancient scorpion crawled out towards him. Michelle laughed at this. "Meet the scorpion that has been in this mountain the longest of times! Many have come to kill it, yet none succeeded! Have fun~!" Michelle said as she sat on the platform.

The overgrown scorpion hissed out a loud roar. It charged at the lion Faunus and tried to crush him under one of its pincers. The Faunus dodged out of the and held the dagger tightly. He looked back at the scorpion and glared at it. It brought its stinger down and the Faunus took the opportunity to slash at it. The Deathstalker hissed in pain and swatted the lion Faunus away. The Faunus slowly got up and charged the overgrown scorpion this time. The Deathstalker wasn't having any of it and it grabbed him in its pincer.

Michelle jumped down and landed on its head. "Well, I would have it kill you… But I'm curious as to who sent you… If you tell me, I'll let you go!" she tilted her head. "General Ironwood! He sent me! He wanted to spy on the Crimson Fang because of the danger you may pose!" the lion faunus yelled. Michelle nodded. "I see… Call him…" Michelle turned on her voice changer and handed the Faunus a scroll. "W-What?" he said in confusion. " _Call. Him_." Michelle threatened him. " _Make sure it's on video._ " Michelle stated. "Fine…" The lion faunus reluctantly stated as he started the number. Michelle smiled under her helmet.

~In Atlas~

A scroll went off in the office of one General James Ironwood. It was from the one he sent to join Crimson Fang for information. James answered it, only to see the lion Faunus with a masked person standing behind him. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, anger evident in his voice. The masked person chuckled. " _I am someone you don't want to mess with. Tell me, why have you sent one of your men to join Crimson Fang?_ " The masked person asked. James sat back in his chair, less furious, and replied, "Now, what do I gain from revealing that? I'll tell you what I gain, just a dead man. So why don't you answer me this, how the hell did you know he was sent by me?" The masked person laughed a bit. " _Well, your little spy told me! It didn't take much convincing. Though, an ancient Deathstalker coming at him and nearly killing him does wonders to have him talking. In fact, I had him calling you! If he had lied, he wouldn't have called! And since you answered and didn't seem to ask if who we both were, I'd say, you know him! As for what you gain… I'd say you gain not making Vale your enemy again…_ " the masked person said smugly.

At this, James' face grew dark. "Vale has never been my enemy. Sure, it may have been my country's enemy at one time, but that was ages before my time," he said as he leaned forward. "So, I ask once again, what do I gain? I already know my man is dead either way." the masked person did not seem to be amused. " _What you gain… is your life on the line? The life of your army? It depends on what you want… I know I have a bit of an agreement to be left alone by Ozpin… but that also means the Crimson Fang is apart of the community and even help out the huntsmen and the huntresses. Everyone has a reason James… I want to know yours. I am also sure that Ozpin would like to know about this. What do you want to gain from this?_ " the masked person sounded calm.

James sat back as he replied, "What I _want_ to gain is something you won't willingly provide, something I had hoped to gain by that man there at your feet. Of course, he doesn't know what he was ultimately sent for." After this was said, someone walked in and handed the General something, always staying just out of camera-shot. James skimmed the paper before setting it face down on the desk, saying, "Well, this conversation has gone on long enough. I thank you for the little chat." Before James could turn off the video, the person chuckled. " _It all depends on what that is! I believe this conversation is far from over! I'll be seeing you around… General James Ironwood!_ " they replied. The video had suddenly last transmission. James just chuckled as he picked the paper back up, looking at the map printed on it carefully and saying to himself, "You have no idea, Dark Wolf. We'll be seeing each other _real_ soon."

~At The Pit~

Michelle allowed the Deathstalker to kill and devour the spy. She forced it back into its pen by ripping the spies head off and tossing it into the cage. The scorpion followed it and the cage closed. Michelle looked up at the stands. She turned off her voice changer and began to speak to them. "To all Crimson Fang members! We are going to be preparing for a visit from General James Ironwood! And hearing about how he deals with things, he is most likely going to be sending his army! Since there is a lot of them, mostly being human because it's fucking Atlas, I have an idea of how we can deal with them!" Michelle could see them smiling and laughing at this. She smiled under her helmet and laughed a bit. "First, I want the recruits to stay in the encampment. I don't want any of you getting into the battle! Reason for this is because you recruits haven't had that much experience in a battle yet! Sure, this might give you experience, but this doesn't mean you'll live through it! So, if possible, I want you guys to attack from inside our camp!" the recruits smiled to at least know that she cared enough to allow them to fight, even from a safe location.

"Jeeves! I want you in the underground! If there is going to be ariel units, we need our defenses at the ready! I doubt James knows how much most of the money the previous leader get goes towards! I want to surprise them!" Jeeves nodded. "Of course Dark Wolf! They won't know what will hit them!" he yelled back. "Last but not least! I want the most experienced fighters out in front! If you're still getting used to fighting, your with the recruits! Help them out as you can! When Jeeves gets our little surprise up, that's when everyone gets into position! I'll be out in the open! If a single bullet hits me, all of you must retreat inside and hold your fire! I'll be fighting them on my own from there! So make sure you take them out before that happens!" she yelled out. Everyone was cheering. This was a fight they would want to get into.

After all that was said and done, they all began to make their way back to camp. Michelle flew the most skilled fighters, the ones that had been there along with her mother, back to the camp. "So… are you sure you don't want us in the front lines?" one asked. "No… The eight of you are skilled, I will give you that, but I know you guys wouldn't pull back in the heat of battle… Panther, Jaguar, Feral, Blade, Astro, Reaper, Giro, and Lanster… I need you guys to stay behind and tend to any wounded… If my plan works, and I don't have to go out there, then there won't be any issues… I not too sure I can last long against that big of an army without backup…" Michelle admitted. Panther chuckled a bit. "I am sure you can! Everything will turn up roses!" he said, Michelle giggled at that. "I think you mean, "Everything will turn up smelling like daisies!" Michelle corrected him. Jaguar laughed.

"He is saying it like that because he had met someone that smelled like roses after he had killed a target years back! When your mother finally found you wandering the border to Vacuo!" Michelle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I heard the women had disappeared shortly after though… No one could find her body, but her cloak was left behind, torn apart by something that was most likely a Grimm." Michelle stated. Panther nodded. "That's right. But let's not focus on the past. We need to get ready. We don't know when Atlas is going to strike…" he stated. Michelle nodded and landed the bullhead in the middle of camp. The other members had already arrived. Michelle and the others got out and started to prepare for the coming battle.

~Back in Atlas~

Ironwood paced in the front of the large room, finishing up his speech to his soldiers. When he finished, he walked to the middle of the room near the wall and saluted, earning salutes back. One of the sergeants walked up to Ironwood and saluted him. "All preparations are complete. When shall we head out sir?" The sergeant asked. James turned towards the sergeant, and replied, "Within twelve hours, sergeant. I want the Crimson Fang dealt with by the end of the week," and started walking towards his office. "Yes sir!" The sergeant walked away to inform the rest of the unit.

~12 hours: The Crimson Fang Camp~

Michelle stood in front of the doors to the camp and waited. Her helmet was tightly on to make sure it wasn't shot off during the fight she new was coming from Atlas. From off to her left, a voice said, "A little birdie told me you found yet _another_ spy. This time from Atlas. Why am I not surprised?" Michelle looked to her left and crossed her arms. "Because people think Crimson Fang is a threat. When it came to before the war, yeah, it was considered the biggest threat to Vale. Now, it's only a threat if you treat us like one…" Michelle stated. A form stepped from the shadows and smiled, revealing growing canines. "Well, only fools treat you like that, Michelle. Or should I call you Dark Wolf until this is over?" Nate asked, already losing control, albeit slowly. Michelle suddenly stood in front of Nate. "Nate… why does it seem like you're going feral on me?" She asked in a serious tone. He shrugged as he crossed his arms. "I just want to help teach old JimJam a lesson. I met him awhile back and he just struck me as egotistical. Really reminded me of dad just enough to piss me off," he replied, eyes slowly changing color to match the personality in control. Michelle sighed and shook her head. "You are not getting involved… I even have the highest ranking few that have been here along with mom staying behind the walls." She stated.

Nate snorted. "Yeah, and you're going to lead the defense without your second behind you? You know I won't let you do that," he said, now talking in almost complete monotone. She laughed. "I am not leading them! I am staying behind as well. I will be out in the open making sure to inform them if something comes from the forest or the air." She began to walk back to the wall. Nate sighed, following behind her at a slight distance. "You do remember that I don't need to be on the battlefield _physically_ , right?" he asked Michelle, causing his shadow to form a 3D silhouette of himself. "Tell me, do you know anything about the camp? Like why this camp never moves its location no matter how many people find it?" Michelle asked suddenly. Nate replied almost instantly, "Isn't it because of its easily defensible location?" Michelle smiled under her helmet. "That isn't the only reason! There is another reason! You'll see when the enemy comes here! Trust me, it's truly something that is never expected!" Michelle stood next to the wall. Bullheads and large airships started to fly in the distance, looking like they were dropping out troops to the ground. "You are not going after them… stay next to me and wait." Michelle ordered Nate. Nate grumbled, his eyes slowly turning back to normal as his nails and teeth went back to normal. "Fine. But if any soldier from Atlas gets past the front lines, I don't want to be held back. Okay?" he said.

"The current order is, if a single bullet hits me, no one interferes… I honestly don't want anyone out there if that happens…" Michelle stated. She turned on the voice changer on her and watching as the atlas soldiers rushed towards them. She contacted Jeeves. " _Start it up… Its time show them the surprise_!" After she said that, the ground began to shake. Soon, large metal walls sprung out from below and surrounded the camp, a metal ceiling covering the top. Michelle stood on the wall with Nate. " _Now this is why we don't move!_ " She laughed. Suddenly, the front part of the metal wall opened, about 20 members of the Crimson Fang rushed out towards the soldiers and began to fight. The doors closed up again. The large airship stayed its position, sending down more waves of soldiers to the ground for their attack. Michelle grinned under her mask. " _There maybe a few out there, but I wouldn't let them out like that without a bit of back up!_ " she banged on the wall and sections in it opened up. Firearms aimed out the open sections and began to fire at the soldiers.

The battle raged, more Atlas soldiers were getting killed and only a few Crimson Fang's had left to treat their injuries from inside the metal dome. Michelle stood near the edge of the dome and watched from above. One soldier from Atlas held out sniper and shot at her. The bullet hitting her helmet, dead center of her forehead. The Crimson Fang Mercs looked up and stopped fighting. They began to retreat into the keep and shutters closed tightly after they went inside. The Atlas soldiers smiled to themselves. " _Shadow… No matter what happens… I do not want you to interfere… I don't want you down there with me…_ " She said as she got up. Pulling out her pistols, she jumped off the dome and shot at a few guards, hitting them in the head. She began to fight the soldiers on her own.

Michelle fought the Atlas soldiers as they came out of the forest towards the fortress that was the Crimson Fang camp. _I need to beat them… If I go down… He'll… Nate might as well think of me as a monster now… It will at least help with it if the situation comes down to using… That…_ she thought to herself. She swung her hand scythes fast and sliced a soldier in half, only to have another soldier swung the but of their gun up towards her chin, hitting her helmet off her head. "Shit!" she cursed in a low frustrated tone. The soldiers fired at her relentlessly soon after, not allowing her anytime to move as their bullets started to pierce her skin. When they stopped firing, Michelle fell forwards and hit the ground. The soldiers cheered in victory after they believed to have finally put the leader of the Crimson Fang down.

As she was lying there, the tattoo of the zero on her back began to pulse, Her aura was coming back to her, through the shadows beneath the soldiers. The shadows began to wrap around different parts of her body. More specifically, the shadows wrapped around her chest, head, forearms, hands, tail, waist, and her legs. Her eyes changed to black and red. She grabbed a soldier's leg and slammed him to the ground as she started to get up. The other soldiers looked at her in shock and horror.

~The Heavy Aura Retainment Prison Of Vale~

Alex was being escorted to the visiting center of the prison. She had a bored expression on her face. That was until she saw the person that was waiting there for her. Glynda was sitting there, at a table, waiting for Alex. "Alex… I need some answers…" Glynda said in a harsh tone. Alex smiled and sat across from Glynda. "Answers are a commodity, you either have something of worth, or you don't have anything. Tell me, why are you here Glynda?" Alex asked in curiosity, much to Glynda's annoyance.

Glynda showed Alex a folder and placed it on the table. "Look at those…" Glynda demanded. Alex tilted her head as she looked at the folder. She picked it up and opened it. There were pictures of children, lying dead on the ground at different locations from one another, numbers carved into their backs, blood under the bodies, corpses littered around them. Alex lost her smile in an instant upon seeing the pictures. She looked up at Glynda with a serious expression, one that the huntress hadn't seen in a very long time. "Are you showing me these to make me feel bad, Glynda? That I failed my mission in protecting them?" Alex practically snapped at Glynda.

The huntress shook her head. "No. In truth, you would be commended for saving the ones you did. Even Ozpin agrees in that regard. I want to know though… Based on the records we recovered, your report, and with the surveillance footage, there is something missing from all those pictures…" Glynda stated. Alex began to look at the pictures more closely to find that answer. The numbers on the children's backs were, Four, Nine, Six, Two, and Eight. The report she had filled out years ago had stated there were six children out of the Ten in total that had been able to escape with her. Soon after, the six disappeared from Alex's care which followed her arrest in failing to keep the children from harm.

"I can see it… In fact, I know what you're getting at… I want to hear you say it." Alex placed the folder down on the table and leaned back. "Where is Zero?" Glynda asked in a serious tone. Alex looked Glynda in the eye. "You had her imprisoned here… You found her half dead… Thankfully not to a point where she had no pulse." Alex stated. "The new leader of the Crimson Fang… The daughter of Sia Zellos… That is Zero?!" Glynda stated in shock. "That's right. Not exactly something Sia kept well hidden… Then again, the records I found never stated her name." Alex stated. Glynda relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair for a few moments before sitting up straight.

"You said… It was a good thing that I found her with a pulse… What do you mean exactly?" Glynda asked. Alex leaned forward and started to set the pictures on the table from the folder. "If you can't tell, all the numbers on their backs looks like they were carved in… They weren't like that when they first got them…" Alex began to explain. "What caused them to do that?" Glynda asked. "They do that when they are extremely close to death. Once it sinks in, that's when something happens…" Alex stated.

"What happens?" Glynda asked, becoming more intrigued by what Alex was saying. "They turn into the beasts the facility was trying to create…" Alex replied.

~Back at the Crimson Fang camp~

Once Michelle stood up, her legs gave the appearance of a dragon's hind legs. Her arms had become like a dragon's, sharp claws on her finger tips. Large pure black dragon-like wings spread widely from her shoulder blades. Her tail had become long and reptilian. Her eyes glowed through the darkness that the shadows caused. The darkness also made her face seem longer. The soldiers just stared stock still at the sight before them.

~At the Prison~

"Since Grimm blood was used in the experiments, and their semblances and aura were forced to be unlocked at a young age... they would end up going into a state that makes them act like Grimm... adding their semblances to create an appearance like a monster's... their aura creates a shield to prevent them from getting hurt like normal, just super charged." Alex explained. Glynda was shocked. "Is that how all these kids died?" She asked Alex. Alex shook her head. "No... the experiment led to their death... Their body believes they are dead, but after they are out of that state, they find themselves in the midst of a pool of blood. No memory of the event. What led to their deaths is their mental state caused by it. They see the end result and start freaking out. They think they are going to be sent back to the facility." Alex tries to explain to Glynda. "They... commit suicide?" Glynda asked, hoping that wasn't the case. Alex smiled softly. "No, that is not what happens. They have no weapons on them during this. What happens is a fail safe implanted in them... they were meant to kill them if they escaped. That ended up being deemed too lethal and something else took the place of it." Alex explained.

"What kind of fail safe did they implement then?" Glynda asked, she was slightly worried about the answer. Alex smiled and looked at the pictures. "The one they used causes images of the people from the facility coming after them. Finding them. This causes a high amount of stress if they didn't go through the final stage of the experiment... It essentially causes a heart attack and sends out a beacon for them to find... but since it was destroyed, anyone can pick up the signal at this point." Alex stated. "I see... How do they fight in that state then?" Glynda asked. "Like true monsters..." Alex replied as she rested her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together in front of her mouth as she leaned forward.

~At the Camp~

Michelle roared loudly and her shadowed mouth opened up as she roared. She tore through two soldier's chests and ripped out their hearts. Swinging her tail around, sliced off a few of the soldiers heads. She grabbed another's arm and slammed them on the ground. She placed her foot against their chest and began to pull on their arm, ripping it out of the socket. Michelle tossed the arm at a soldier's head before jumping on them and biting into their neck.

~At the Prison~

"So, is their a way to get them out of it?" Glynda asked. "Zero was the only one that got out of it by sheer will... She is unable to go into that state whenever she wants... She had even stated that there was a voice telling her to kill everyone in the facility..." Alex sighed and shook her head. She looked at the photos and frowned. "Number Two... He could turn into what looked to be a nevermore... though I guess a Phoenix because he bursts into flames in that state... Number Nine... She seemed to have turned into a tiger like Grimm... No one figured out why... Her semblance had to do with blood..." Alex removed the pictures from the pile.

"Number Six... He could take the form of a boarbatusk using water that was placed around the facility to make sure he would be able to achieve that state... Number Four... She had a strange Semblance that didn't let her body take form... She managed to achieve her form when she punched the ground and the stone became her form. She was an Ursa..." Alex removed the next two, leaving one image left. "Number eight... He achieved his form using steel... taking the form of a Creep..." Alex removed the pictures. She looked up at Glynda. "And Zero?" Glynda asked her.

"Zero... she used her control over the shadows... Darkness is what everyone called it... only because when you see it, there is nothing but a pitch black monster that would love to see you in pieces..." Alex replied. "What is she though?" Glynda asked sternly. Alex smiled and shook her head. "She was a wolf... But now? I have no idea... Something else got into her blood... Whatever it is, it's basically causing her a lot more issues than before... I saw her having her life drained, it looked like her body was either fighting it, or trying to get it to work with her..." Alex explained. Glynda sighed. "This isn't good... is it?" Glynda asked. "No... It's not... I would need to monitor her carefully." Alex stated. Glynda nodded. "I know exactly how you can do that. Ozpin had her brother request admittance. If I tell him about this, he might be getting one student, one monster, and a new doctor." Glynda stated.

Alex smiled and shrugged. "As long as Ozpin won't mind!" She said. Glynda sighed, silently regretting her decision on this.

~At Camp~

Michelle stood above a pile of corpses, of what was left of the Atlas soldiers. She panted and walked toward the forest, a skull in one hand and a line of intestines in another. She growled loudly and headed into the forest. Within it, there was a bullhead resting in a clearing. A tall man stood there with his back towards Michelle. He sounded like he was trying to get his forces to respond. Michelle tossed the skull at his head and hissed out at him. The tall man quickly turned around and shot the skull, just feet away from hitting him. Slowly lowering his pistol, he stared, rage in his eyes, at Michelle. Not turning his head away, he said something to his men, causing them to disperse into the forest. She started to circle him but not losing any eye contact. Not taking any steps forwards towards him. With only the instincts of a Grimm, a semblance, and the reflexes of a Mercenary, she would be a tough fighter in this battle.

Getting on all fours, Michelle walked around him again. She would not let him run. He is her prey and that is all that there is to it. She suddenly stopped in a shadow and jumped into it. She appeared out of sight and charged at Ironwood. Only for him to point his pistol at her forehead, but she was stopped in place by a glyph under her feet. She hissed and roared. Trying to get herself free. Glynda Goodwitch had came out of the tree line behind Ironwood. "I guess I got here just in time. I didn't know you would be out here as well, James." Glynda stated harshly.

James turned his head sharply towards the teacher of Beacon. "What the hell are you doing here, Mrs. Goodwitch?" he spat out sharply. "I had this under control!" Glynda glared at him. "Of course you did, the massive body count of dead and torn apart Atlas soldiers clearly means you had it under control. As for why I'm here, Ozpin asked that I come here to retrieve the leader of Crimson Fang…" she replied. Michelle's claws barely moving an inch through the glyph. Ironwood snorted, turning his head back to face Michelle, and asked, "And what would the _high and mighty Ozpin_ want with a criminal?" Glynda glared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, she is one of the few _experiments_ that escaped the facility that wanted to create strong soldiers that were unbeatable… Or do I need to remind you that not reporting them and attacking one is the worse thing you can do?" she snapped back at him. Michelle snarled and tried harder to get her claws to pierce the glyph in front of her. James just looked at Michelle, taking in what Glynda had said, before replying, "I don't believe you _or_ your headmaster ever took the kindness to let me know that escaped. Now, if you don't mind, since you won't let me deal with their leader, I have a camp to destroy." Michelle's claw tore through the glyph and she tackled Ironwood to the ground, she was about to bite into his neck.

"It seems she didn't take kindly to that." Glynda crossed her arms looking at James. He just grunted as he brought the pistol around sharply, the butt of the grip stopping just shy of Michelle's head. "I don't think that was very kind of you Glynda." Ozpin was standing next to James' head. His cane stopping James' arm from moving to hit her. Michelle jumped off of James and moved to get distance between her and them. "Ozpin," James growled out. "Mind letting my hand go?" Ozpin moved his cane and looked at Michelle. "I would like to know why you sent an army to fight the Crimson Fang even though they are of no threat to us. They never take any missions that involve going to headmasters and military heads to assassinate them." Ozpin stated. Michelle let out a low growl and glared at them. James got up, holstered his pistol, and dusted himself off. "They are still wanted criminals, Ozpin. I don't understand why you haven't done something about them, especially since they are essentially right outside Vale." At this, he glared at the Beacon headmaster, clearly furious at his intervention. Ozpin smiled.

"They are not wanted because we had reached an agreement a long while back. Further to when Vale had a king. A cherished knight decided that being apart of the kingdom wasn't for him. Bringing it up to the king, the let him leave. He had left with his armor and weapons, thanks to the king. He created the Crimson Fang to show there are those that will fight on their own instead of with a kingdom. The deal being that if Vale ever needed them, they would call for them. If they ever needed us, We would help them. They are as much criminals as Atlas is for taking over Mantle. They just don't want to run an entire continent." Ozpin explained, not showing any aggression. Glynda looked at Michelle as she glared at them. Ironwood suddenly swung a fist towards Ozpin, only to be flung backwards by one of Glynda's glyphs. As he regained his breath, he stood up and violently spat out, "How dare you place Atlas in the same category as these criminals! Have you any respect, _Ozpin_ , or is that just another illusion?"

Ozpin looked at Ironwood. "I meant no ill will. I was only giving a comparison to give it at some explanation. I am sure if you ask her, you would know if they were a threat. Besides, if they were criminals to begin with, they would have wiped out Vale a long time ago. I suggest you show some respect that they have lasted this long." he stated. Glynda crossed her arms. "At least show the same respect you showed Sia when you first met her… she would be turning in her grave if she heard you were trying to kill her family…" she snapped at him. Michelle charged at them quickly and was stopped again by Glynda's glyphs. "Do you remember how long this form will last?" Ozpin asked. "No idea… Alex is not one to share if the time doesn't suit her…" Glynda replied in an annoyed tone.

Michelle jumped back and growled. The shadows on her began to fade and she started holding her head. She stood up straight and looked at the three. In her eyes, she could see more coming out of the forest, looking like the ones she remembered from the facility. She backed up and ran towards the camp, panting heavily. Back with the trio, Ironwood turned around, pistol at the ready, only to see nothing. "What the hell?" he asked in frustration and confusion. "What made her run away like that?" Glynda sighed. "That would be the side effects of the experiment. A control method from what I can tell. It caused her to see things that weren't there." she explained. Ironwood suddenly turned his head back to Glynda, yelling as he paced between two trees, "And what the hell were you talking about just before she ran off!? That… monster surely can't be Sia's daughter!"

Ozpin sighed. "She is her daughter… If you had forgotten, Alex Ripper, a Huntress that was personally assigned a mission involving a facility that was making child monster and turning them into soldiers had wrote it in her report. She even confirmed it with Sia and her daughter was returned to her after 3 years being in the facility. That was, of course, after the facility was destroyed." he explained. Ironwood stopped pacing and faced the Beacon headmaster fully, before growling and storming away, yelling over his shoulder, "You know this won't end here, so don't get comfortable Oz."

Michelle was halfway to the camp before she stopped. She felt her body shaking. "Now is not the time for this… I need to get back before this gets any worse…" she said allowed. Her ears perked up as she heard foot steps. She climbed up the tree she ended up leaning against, hiding from whoever was walking near her. The footsteps suddenly stopped a few feet away from the base of the tree before heading away. A few seconds after the footsteps faded away, a hand suddenly tapped Michelle's already shaking shoulder, tapping a sort of code. Michelle practically jumped out of her skin when she felt the tap on her shoulder, extending one of her swords and pointing the tip of the blade at the person's throat, even the blade was shaking. What she saw was one of Nate's shadows, kneeling on the branch and still tapping out on her shoulder in the same code, " _They are leaving… and you aren't looking too good, sis. Need any help?_ "

Michelle lowered her arm and the blade. "N-No… I-I'm fine Nate… just… I just need to get back…" her voice was shaky, there was fear in her voice. It was rare that she had it this clear in voice. She lowered herself off the tree and slowly made her way back. The Shadow melted down the tree and slithered over to Michelle, jumping back up into Nate's shape. " _This shadow is not going to leave you until you get within sight of the camp, sis. After that, I will leave the camp unless you have anything you want to say_ ," the shadow softly tapped into Michelle's shoulder. " _So if you do have anything to say before I leave, better let me know in the next thirty seconds._ " Michelle stopped walking and shook her head. "I'm fine… I only lost myself a bit… everything is fine…" she said. She was trying regain her thoughts before continuing her pace.

The Shadow shook its head, tapping, " _You are clearly not fine. You saw something to make your fear obvious, sis. Not only that, but you're barely standing and walking as it is._ " Michelle held her head and fell to her knees as she shook more, she could see the figures in front of, she felt like they were heading towards her. "It's all in my head… nothing is there…" she started to repeat that over and over in a harsh whisper. The Shadow suddenly kneeled down and picked Michelle up, running towards the back of the camp where it's creator now waited, away from the mass of mercenaries at the front. " _Just hang tight, sis,_ " the Shadow carefully tapped, " _We are almost where we can get help._ " Michelle held her head tightly and shut her eyes. "I need sleep… I just want it to stop." she said quietly. As they reached the back entrance to the camp, it opened enough to allow the Shadow in with Michelle without alerting anyone. As the gate shut, Nate took his sister from the shadow, which then melted back to its place underneath him. "Geez, sis. Always have to overdo it, don't ya?" he said as he walked into a tent's shadow, transporting them to the hospital in Vale, the same one that Michelle was in a while back.

A doctor went over to them and looked at Michelle. "Hmm… is there a problem with her?" he asked. Michelle looked at the doctor and glared. "I have a massive headache and my aura is broken…" she bluntly. The doctor looked at Nate skeptically. Nate stared at the doctor blankly, briefly puzzled, before confirming, "She _is_ telling the truth. Now, i want a specific doctor to work on her, and I can get her, so you just give us a room and privacy." The doctor nodded. "First room on the left past the Emergency room." he said to him. Nate nodded and quickly walked to the room, setting Michelle down on the bed as soon as he entered and opening a shadow into Alex's cell. Poking his head through, he saw that no one was there, so he pulled it back out and closed the shadow. Pulling out his 'work' scroll, he put on his mask and dialed Glynda's number.

Glynda answered her scroll. "Glynda Goodwitch speaking." she said with a tone of professionalism. " **Where is Leviathan?** " Nate asked, his mask disguising his voice. "Who is this?" she asked sternly. Nate just chuckled before replying, " **Can't you tell, we've actually met before. At the camp, when Dark Wolf was in the hospital. Now, where did you move Leviathan to?** " Glynda relaxed a bit. "She was released to a nurse at Beacon Academy. She is in her office right now." she replied. Nate growled low. " **Send her over to the same hospital right now, alone. Someone needs her help,** " he said. "Fine… I ask her about it when she gets back…" Glynda replied before hanging up.

Ten minutes had passed and Alex had finally arrived. She yawned a bit after she entered the room. "I heard you needed me… What do you need?" She immediately got her answer when she saw Michelle lying on the bed. "First off, I am sure what you did was stupid…" She pointed at Michelle. "Second, I need you to leave the room Nate…" She looked at Nate as she was now standing next to Michelle's side. Once they were the only two in the room, Alex knelt beside her. "So… the doctor told me your aura had broken and you have a massive headache… mind telling me why you're still awake?" Alex asked. Michelle shrugged. "I don't know… Feels different I guess…" she replied to her.

"Lying isn't going to get you anywhere in this situation…" Alex said with a sad expression on her face. "It happened… didn't it?" Alex asked with concern. Michelle only nodded her head. "You did do something stupid… It was Ironwood, right?" Alex asked. She heard what had happened from Glynda so she was not completely out of the loop. Michelle nodded again. "I'm guessing no survivors…" Alex stood up and pulled out a silver cylinder. "None of them lived except for those three…" Michelle added. She turned to look at Alex. "Well… there is only one option sadly…" Alex whipped around and she suddenly had a silver knuckle duster in her hand. Alex hit Michelle in the back of the head and knocked her out cold. Alex sighed, her expression showed how much she hated doing that. Alex pulled out her scroll and called Glynda. " _How did it go?_ " Glynda asked. "It went a bit worse than what I would have liked… How does it go for your end?" Alex asked, she had already made an accurate guess about what was happening and didn't like the fact that she was right.

" _Everything is set up. Be ready for when you return. Try not to cause any trouble while you're there though._ " With that, Alex hung up her scroll and sighed in irritation. She started to dial Ironwood's number. "Having to report to Ironwood just to confirm what I put in the report… just great…" Alex sat in a chair next to Michelle's bed.

~On a bullhead bound for Atlas~

An irritated general paced in front of his protégée when his scroll started ringing. Storming over to the seat where he left it, James looked for a name, but only saw that it was a blocked caller. Growling, he answered it. "Who the hell is this and how did you get my private number?!" Alex smiled. " _General Ironwood. It's been awhile. How have you been? Its Alexandra Ripper._ " She said calmly. Ironwood sputtered at this, as did the other person in the bullhead. "Alex! You're supposed to be in jail!" Turning his head, he yelled, "SCHNEE!" The younger woman hurried over to his side as he whispered something into her ear. She nodded, saying, "Yes Sir," before walking into a different sexton of the bullhead. Looking back to his scroll, he regained his composure a little bit. "How exactly did you manage to escape, Alex?" he asked, anger still evident in his tone. " _Not exactly an escape if I had my sentence served already. I could have left whenever I wanted. I turned myself in because I regretted my decision during my mission. I refused to leave as well. Besides, I made a deal with Ozpin."_ Alex explained.

Ironwood almost threw his scroll at the nearest wall right then. "Ozpin… struck a deal with you? You have to be jo-" he said before being interrupted by Schnee. "SIR! It seems Glynda and Ozpin… oh, you already know… forgive my interruption." Suddenly there was a bang as James punched the chair Schnee had been sitting in beforehand. " _Temper James… I heard that you disagree about the encounter of the current Leader of the Crimson Fang being Sia's daughter. I want to know why you'd think that._ " Alex remained calm.

Ironwood waved Schnee out of the section before harshly saying, "She is a monster, no, an abomination, and you know it, Alex! She needs to be put out of her misery before she becomes a threat to us all! When your precious Zero finally turns on you, I will be there, and I will end it!" Alex shook her head and sighed. " _I can understand what you mean James. But, I have hope to reverse what has been done. If I can figure out a way to remove all the blood of the Grimm from her, I would also find a way to make so that that it can be toxic to all Grimm. Hell, Sia didn't want me to turn myself in because she knew I was trying to figure this out. She even tried to make sure Michelle wouldn't be so easy to turn on her allies. Only time will tell if she succeeded before she died._ " Alex looked through a few documents before continuing. " _I have a few things I need to take care of. James, you need to understand. I gave her a second chance. For now, give it to her. I am not saying you shouldn't prepare for when or even if she does turn on me. I'm saying you need to be ready, but give her the chance to try. I gave you a second chance when we went on that mission in Vacuo. In the meantime, I can do you a few favors. Ozpin gave me access to every file he has and everything he knows about Salem. If need be, I can send you any info that can potentially help. All you need to do is give Zero a second chance, do we have a deal?_ " Alex was serious in her tone.

James just sighed heavily in resignation. "Fine. But, if I find out she has killed anyone in Vale, Ozpin has to lock her up in that underground vault of his. Otherwise, I will find her and kill her myself if I have to," he said, barely holding his anger in check. " _Don't worry, I will personally send you that message._ " Alex hung up after that.

~A few hours later~

Michelle began to wake up after Alex had knocked her out. Taking a quick glance around the room, she noticed that Alex wasn't there. Sitting up, she held her head and groaned. "I hate it when she does that…" she mumbled to no one in particular. As soon as she said that, Nate was escorted in by Glynda, who seemed a bit impatient. "-ease quit shoving, Mrs. Goodwitch. I don't see what the hurry is," Nate was saying. "I need to speak to Michelle." she simply said. Michelle rubbed her eyes and yawned. "If you two are arguing over stupid things, I am not going to be happy…" She said in an irritated tone. Glynda glared at her. Nate stopped and looked over at Michelle. After a few seconds, he spoke up, "Oh. Hi, Michelle… didn't know you were here."

Michelle stared at Nate for a bit before shaking her head. "Thinking is bad…" she grumbled a bit. "Then either you left something out, or she has no idea how she got here." Glynda crossed her arms, still not in a good mood. Nate shook his head. "I told you, I haven't spoken to her in a long time. I didn't even know she was still in Vale, Mrs. Goodwitch," he said, an expression of disbelief plastered on his face. "When Alex messaged me about visiting a patient, I figured it was Ms Zellos here. She only recently got out of jail." Glynda stated. Michelle looked between the two and lied back. "Is there any reason why I am in the hospital then? I would love to know that reason." She said with minor annoyance. Nate shook his head and looked at Glynda, so as not to destroy the lie he laid out. "Do you know, Mrs. Goodwitch? I would like to know why my sister is here, and why you practically dragged me here." Glynda sighed and looked at Michelle. "Your guess is as good as mine. Ms Zellos, do you not remember how you got here?" Glynda asked more directly. "Nope. Maybe a good samaritan or even Ms Ripper brought me here. My mind is a foggy mess at the moment…" Michelle answered. Glynda nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the two alone in the room and out of earshot as she began to make a call.

Nate sighed in relief, but didn't relax. "Thanks for covering my ass just then, sis," he said as he covered the walls and door out of habit. Michelle shrugged. "I wasn't lying. My mind is foggy mess. I would still cover for you nonetheless." she smiled at him. Nate looked at Michelle, his ears twitching slightly, as he asked, "What exactly _did_ Alex do after I left? And where is she?" Michelle sat up and looked at him. "She fucking punched me in the head… As for where she is… I have no idea. I just woke up. Last thing I remember was seeing her and talking to her then, lights out after she punched me." She explained. Nate clenched his fists before turning his head and swearing under his breath. He quickly uncovered the doors and walls, adopting the same face and pose as before, and signaling towards the door. Michelle nodded and smiled. "You can relax. If I was in that… State of mind… She did the right thing. Trust me." She said. Glynda walked back into the room.

"I have just talked to Ozpin. He said he is making arrangements for you to attend Beacon, Ms Zellos." Glynda stated. Nate looked at Glynda, genuinely shocked. "Wait, Mrs. Goodwitch, you and Professor Ozpin are letting my sister, member of the Crimson Fang, attend Beacon?" he asked. "That's right. He thinks that it might keep her out of trouble. Since she was sent to jail before. Learning what it takes to be a huntress might due her some good." Glynda replied to him. "That's a bad idea." Michelle flatly stated. Nate nodded in agreement, saying, "If what you said is right, Mrs. Goodwitch, then I have to agree with Michelle, even though I don't know what all she is capable of." Michelle briefly glared at Nate before looking back at Glynda. "He knows a few things then. Ms Ripper will be there for her as the doctor. She knows everything on that part. The entire staff has been given a warning on what to expect and a way to handle it. There is even a guard that will make sure she won't pull anything. Professor Ozpin has his bases covered." Glynda explained. Michelle sighed and shook her head. "I guess he does." she said, she looked away from the two and stared at the corner of the room. Nate twitched his ear a bit as he heard this. "Well, I guess that's good… but you never really answered my question from earlier, Mrs. Goodwitch. Why am _I_ even here? What is the reason that you dragged me all the way here?" Nate asked the huntress. Glynda looked at Nate. "If Ms Zellos agrees with going to Beacon, Ozpin would also accept you as a student along with her, no questions asked. However, when this happens, you're the one tasked with keeping a close eye on her." Glynda replied. Nate subtly twitched an ear towards Michelle before replying, "Okay… one question. Why would _I_ be the one charged to keep an eye on her and not this… Doctor Ripper? From what you've said, this doctor knows more about my own sister than I do."

Glynda sighed and glared at Nate. "Doctor Ripper needs to be the main doctor at Beacon as well… If she was mainly tending to Ms Zellos, people would start asking questions for the reason she was released." she explained. Nate opened his mouth to speak and then closed it without saying a word. Finally, he just shrugged, walked over to the nearest wall, and leaned against it casually without saying anything. "Have you made a decision Ms Zellos?" Glynda looked at Michelle. "Yeah. I'll attend Beacon. Just so you know, if anything happens, that was because he thought it would be a smart idea letting me attend." Michelle stated. Glynda just nodded and left the room again. Nate held up a hand, counting slowly down from five before pushing off the wall and walking over to Michelle.

"Well… that was unexpected, to say the least," Nate said. Michelle looked at him and smiled. "To be fair, it's not like I had a better option. I'm sure the others will understand." Michelle got off the bed and stretched out. "Feels like I haven't been moving for days!" Nate just shook his head. "You don't remember having your aura broken or me carrying you here?" he asked. Michelle looked at him. "Should I remember that?" Michelle asked, tilting her head. Nate nodded as he explained, "You were awake at the time. You told the doctor about your aura, along with having a massive headache. Then I got Alex over here and she had me leave the room." Michelle walked towards Nate. "Did anything else happen? After I had my aura broken?" She asked. Nate shrugged. "All I know, along with everyone in the camp, is that you got hit with a bullet from one of the Atlesian soldiers, then had everyone fall back to the camp. I had my shadows patrolling the surrounding woods, but they couldn't find you until you were stumbling your way back to camp. Then you collapsed and I rushed you here." Michelle hummed a bit and smiled. "Okay! I think we should make our way to Beacon now! Seeing as we'll be attending it this year!" Michelle made her way to the door. Nate just sighed as he followed, whispering to himself, "I bet this will not be a year to remember…"


End file.
